This Is War
by iggyt14
Summary: It wasn't supposed to happen. They were supposed to get their bodies back. Together. "Gather your allies, Otōto-kun. This is war..." EdXOC, AlXOC... O.o
1. Chapter 1

_"Give her back!" Ed shouted, "Give them both back, damnit!" He couldn't stop the tears that dripped from his eyes. His arms shook as they grew tighter around the body that grew colder with each passing moment. The pool of crimson life below him soaked into his clothing, despite them being mainly comprised of leather. Forty meters away, Edward noted faintly as the battered suit of armor clung to its own broken body. _

_"What's wrong, Pipsqueak?" A voice mocked back, "Finally understand what war _really_ is?" _

_"Shut up! You did this!"_

_Ed felt cold metal brush against his cheek, drawing his attention back to the broken body in his arms. The clouded eyes staring back at him. Not through him. Not past him. But right into his own eyes. "Ed..." The hand dropped to the ground, landing in the growing puddle of crimson life on the ground. _

_This is war._

_"It's not rainbows and sunshine, puppies and kittens, Pipsqueak. __**It's death and murder**__."_

* * *

**o.O**

**I always have short prolouges... oh well.**

**Hope the story's worth reading.**

**O.o**


	2. Chapter 2

She'd always lived in darkness. Well, not always, but it'd been so long since she'd seen true light. Not the minute changes she could tell in the lights. She'd been told her eyes were clouded over now. Not that it mattered.

She was blind.

Not that it mattered.

She quietly thanked the person who had chunked a few coins into the hat she'd been wearing. Although she'd since then taken it off and it was now in front of her. She leaned against the wall—that broken wall—and pulled at her shredded clothing.

"Brother! Please, can we keep her?"

"Hell no!"

"But-"

"No!"

She remained silent, but she continued to listen to the bickering. From what she could tell, it was a pair of close brothers, with nothing more than brotherly bickering. Serious, but not deadly.

"But it's so cold outside, Brother!"

"Yeah, like my joints couldn't tell."

Joints. Speaking of which, hers hurt. It was bad enough that her arms and her body were cold; she could tell it solely in her attachments. They weren't suited for cold weather, but it was all she could afford. She was surprised she could've afforded automail. It wasn't even close to the best model, but they worked.

"So, we can keep her?"

"No."

"But-"

"_No._"

"Just overnight?"

"_Fine_."

The two bickering souls were in front of her now.

"Did you hear that, Ms. Kitty? You get to stay with us tonight!"

"Only _one night_."

"Thank you, Brother!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Oh, Brother, about Colonel Mustang."

"Yeah?"

"He wants to see you now that you have your alchemy back."

"Again? Whatever."

Colonel Mustang? Alchemy back? She remembered someone talking about a state alchemist losing his alchemy. She didn't remember the guy's name. Allmetal? Halfmetal?

Fullmetal.

"Huh? Did you say something, Al?"

"No?"

She pulled her knees closer upon realization that she'd spoken her thoughts aloud. She hadn't meant to draw attention to herself. Now she was about to catch the attention of two strangers. One of them possibly a state alchemist.

"I know I heard someone."

"What about her?"

She assumed that one pointed at her.

"Maybe. Hey, you call for me?"

She remained quiet.

"Did you or did you not, Lady?"

"Brother, your tone…" She guessed this was the younger, whispered. "It might be scaring her."

She heard the two shuffle to turn away from her, trying to keep their voices down, trying to keep her from hearing them.

"Do you think she's a refugee from when we fought the Homunculi?"

"Looks like she's been attacked."

"Her automail is ruined. I wonder how it's even working."

"Excuse me, miss, are you alright?"

She did not answer, or even move. She was tired. How long had it been since she'd slept? A week? Two?

"Al, let's take her to the hospital. She doesn't look good."

That reminded her, she felt dizzy. The smell of blood was strong.

"But what if she doesn't want to go?"

"I'm not going to let her die."

"Brother-"

"Al, I won't let someone die from something I couldn't prevent."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It does to me."

Still dizzy. Not like this wasn't the first time. The dizziness would go away. It always did earlier.

She vaguely remembered being picked up by warm arms. Ah… warmth.

That reminded her that she was cold.

_This is war._

"Her name?"

"Yes sir… it'll help with the medical records."

"I'm not sure. We found her bleeding out on the side of the road."

"Then it might take longer to treat her fully. We'll need to search the records for someone that matches her description."

"Sorry to have troubled you."

"Don't worry, sir."

She opened her eyes, even though her world remained dark. The lights were bright, and she could hear little bits of conversations beyond the door. The sheets were noticeably scratchy, causing an itch to overcome her entire body. Even what was covered in the hospital gown. From simply breathing, she could smell the overwhelming scent of the chemicals that flowed with the air that circulated throughout the room.

The two outside were speaking in low voices.

Not that that mattered that much.

"-She has a file here, Major Elric. We found it after we cross referenced the hair color."

"Alright then, who is she?"

"It doesn't say."

"Then shouldn't you figure that out?"

"Ah, yes, sir."

"I'll admit that didn't take long."

"You said to hurry, so I did."

"Yeah, yeah."

One of the sets of footsteps faded away, as the owner of the other grasped the knob of the door. She closed her tired eyes once more, not caring to pretend to look at the body that walked into her hospital room.

"You still asleep?" The voice called out. She could hear the annoyance and tiredness of the voice.

_No, I'm putting a puzzle together._ The thought crossed her mind bitterly. Instead, she opened her eyes halfway, and gave a soft groan as an answer.

To which he gave a grunt in reply to. He didn't want to be here either apparently. But that's what he gets for helping a girl that he found on the side of the road without asking if she even needed help. He would wait for her to answer of what she was doing.

"Now that you're awake, can I get your name, it'll help you get out of here faster."

She didn't reply, and instead gave another groan, and turned over, having her back face him. She could smell oil and blood on the boy who stood in her room. They were minute smells, but she knew they were there.

"I'm serious, a soon as we get your name, you can leave this hospital."

That reminded her how much she hated hospitals. They always smelled like death and chemicals. Like a morgue.

"…Sarah…"

"So, she can talk, and that means, it was you that said my name."

_No, that was the cat your younger brother was holding, and begging you to keep._

"…I don't trust strangers…"

This earned a scoff from the older brother, "Get over yourself."

"Brother!" The younger entered the room, loud metal scraping the floor with each step. "Be nice. She has a right not to trust people, we don't know her story." The younger brother gave a soft laugh to break tension, "But it's not like we're going to hurt you."

She remained quiet. She had to admit that she didn't feel any form of angry alchemy clinging to the bodies of the two brothers. Frankly, she didn't feel any sort of alchemy from the younger, but could feel a transmutation lingering on him. It was strange.

And that reminded her: she said she wasn't going to trust another Alchemist.

However, the feeling she got from the two, wasn't hostile.

"You hungry."

"…Don't have money…" She clutched at the rough cloth on her body, dipping into the sheets further.

"That isn't what I asked."

"What Brother means is that if you're hungry, we'll get you something… I mean it-"

"As long as she doesn't eat like Ling, it won't cut into our funds. Besides, the state is paying for this room because of the recent events."

She remained silent, her head dipping further into the sheet, covering all of her deathly pale skin.

"So… I'll… Just…" The younger brother crossed the room carefully, "Go tell the doctors your name!" And she heard his footsteps exit down the hall, echoing softly.

"…Name?..." She figured that if he knew her name, she would at least know who to avoid in the future.

"Hm? Edward Elric."

"…Fullmetal… Alchemist."

"Yeah, that's my state alchemist title."

"…Alchemists… scare me."

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**O.o**

**Thanks for the reviews/follows... really thanks...**

**o.O**


	3. Chapter 3

_"It is a simple question, Edward. Do you or do you not want you alchemy back?"_

_ Ed stared at the man who had approached him in the graveyard. The man Granny had let into the house, welcoming him with smile and a hug. The man who didn't seem dismayed at the sight of the metal suit of armor that sulked in the darkest corner. The man who had approached the armor and called Al by his full name, even though the two of them had never met._

_ The man with golden eyes that stared directly into his soul._

_ Or at least it felt like his eyes did._

_ "It makes no difference which path you choose to take, however, there is something only the Fullmetal alchemist can do and I cannot. Or I would not be here asking you this question." The man stayed motionless, even though his golden seeking eyes scanned over Ed's face. ''I ask that you think quickly. My time here is limited depending on the answer you choose."_

_ "How am I supposed to answer that?" Ed raised his arms in anger, "I had given up my gate to bring Al back! But that didn't get me far! A rebound happened not even three months later."_

_ "Yes, I am aware of what the two of you have been through. And I can help you. But only if you wish."_

_ "Just who the hell are you?"_

_ The man blinked in mild surprise, "If you must know, my name is Eli. I am a traveling alchemist."_

_ "Why are you really here?"_

_ "I really want to help the Elric brothers. That is all."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "For no reason for you to fear, and if you wish to know them, then you will need to accept my help."_

_ "If I agree, what will happen to Al?"_

_ "His soul should stay tied to armor longer. It will be a side effect of the new gate in control of the transmutation."_

_ "New gate?"_

_ "Yes. Everything you hear is true. You will get your alchemy back, and your brother will stay tied to the suit of armor longer."_

_ "What did you say your name was?"_

_ "Eli."_

Ed opened his eyes, rubbing his face with his warm hand. It was a strange feeling too have it warm. Considering it had remained cold for so long. Cold as lifeless metal.

He was only faintly surprised to find himself sitting up against the wall of the girl's room. But he was surprised to find that he had fallen asleep in the first place.

It was the silence he figured.

His head turned to the sounds of the girl shifting in her sheets. She silently sat up, making no noise whatsoever as she did so.

"Didn't... Expect you to fall asleep... But I didn't want to w... Wake you." Sarah coughed again. Her ability to breathe hadn't seemed to have gotten better even though she had been given medicine for it.

He rubbed his face again. He was still feeling the effects of the transmutation with Eli. The traveling alchemist had said that he would feel tired for a good while, but afterwards should feel normal. Whatever that meant. there really want a normal for the Elric brothers. Ed watched the girl shift again off her attachments. They seemed to really bother her. Even more the reason for her to go see Winry and get new automail.

That is, if he could get her to trust him.

Even just a little bit.

"Should've just woken me up." He called as he stood up. He stretched, pleased at the sounds of his arm popping with the movement. "Wouldn't have made me mad."

She didn't respond to his remark. She was trying to play it safe with another alchemist she didn't trust. Playing it safe by not offending the start alchemist in any way, even if that meant not speaking to him.

"I didn't bring you to the hospital for you to just ignore me."

Still there was no reply. She only shifted around underneath the sheets.

"Are you ever going to talk?"

"...yes."

"Oh, so you actually will talk to a state alchemist."

This led to her silence reigning once more in the small hospital room.

"...an alchemist hurt me a long time ago."

"Who?" It was the same question, but if it worked, then there was no reason to try another question, he figured. "Who hurt you?"

Again, she shook her head. Did she not want to tell anyone, or did she truly not know? But whatever had happened, had made it where she would never trust another alchemist again. Which meant it was something that would have merited a state alchemist investigation. But he'd never heard anything about a missing daughter of a state alchemist. Just what was going on?

"Then at last tell me where you've been for four years." He tried; anything to get her to trust him.

She shook her head, refusing to answer him. She slipped back underneath the sheets, burying her head to where she could no longer see him.

Ed sighed at her and stood up fully. He noticed the bag that still rested on the table on the other side of the room. Grabbing it, he tossed it at her bed.

"Eat something at least," He called, exiting the room, grabbing the door to shut behind him. "Those are for you. They better be gone by the time I get back, too."

He saw Sarah shift underneath the sheets again, but he ignored it as the door shut behind him.

Another day, but the bustling around him didn't stop. It was strange that the hospital was so busy. But then again, there was the homunculi attack that left so many injured. The most severe ones still remained within the walls of the hospital, and the rest left with notes to return to work whenever they were healed enough to.

Ed watched the nurses enter the room he still stood outside, and watched them when they left. He raised an eyebrow at the group of nurses that hurried into the room with gauze and towels in their arms, the door slamming behind them. He could hear screaming and hushed yelling from inside the room.

"Brother, what's going on?" Ed turned to face the shining armour that was his brother. He noted that the colonel was with him. Ed only shook his head and shrugged.

"Would you care to explain what is going on?" Ed rolled his eyes at the colonel.

"If I knew, don't you think I would have told Al when he asked?"

Roy went to reply, but was stopped when he realized that the youngest state alchemist spoke truth. The three alchemists stood in awkward silence outside the room. They could hear the hushed yelling rise into full out screaming against the shrieks of pain that it competed with.

"I contacted her father, he said he was going to have to call back. He's dealing with some riots near Ishval. He specializes in nonviolent fighting against common civilians." The colonel crossed his arms again. "Have you learned anything about her since?"

Ed shook his head. There was nothing he could figure out about. She was hiding everything. She shied away anytime any of them talked to her, and would only speak if it would benefit her without rebuttals.

Sarah Styx, daughter of a state alchemist, was truly afraid of alchemists.

And Ed Elric wanted to know why.

But he would need to get her to trust him first.

It was the simple law of Equivalent Exchange.

A tilted head confirmed that his question did not make sense, and would not be answered. Not that any of his questions had been answered.

Or the colonel's questions either. His were just blatantly ignored. Sarah seemed mad at the colonel, rather than afraid.

But either way, they weren't getting anywhere.

It want until Lieutenant Hawkeye walked in, did the two state alchemists get anywhere. Hawkeye was carrying the clothes that the colonel had ordered that she go find. Apparently, Roy didn't want Sarah back on the streets with the same ratty clothes she had come in with.

Sarah didn't shrink back from the woman, she didn't even flinch at her touch either.

"Are you hungry? You haven't touched the food Ed bought you."

A stomach growl was the answer given.

"Here, you've got to eat something." A package was handed over. "I've brought you some clothes for when you get out."

Sarah nodded, her mouth obstructed by the bread that was still halfway in the package.

"I've been wondering, why were you in the alley?"

"... Safe...est... Place I could... Find..." Sarah pulled the half eaten piece of bread out of her mouth with her still popping automail, her real arm pressed to her stomach. "Alchemists... Leave me... Alone there..."

"Living in an alley is lonely, isn't it?"

"Sometimes..."

"Would you like to tell me why you were missing for so long?"

"No one... Looked for me..."

"That's a lie!" This time the colonel broke in, shouting at the girl and causing her to drop the packages of food and immediately cover her head with both arms, leaving her stomach no longer held. "We searched for you everywhere! Even in Ishval! I pressed it on for a year to find you!"

"Colonel! I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room now."

"What now, Hawkeye? What am I doing wrong?"

"I understand your frustration with her case, but you can't take it out on the victim. Please leave the room or I will have you forcefully removed."

The door slammed heavily after the blue clad soldier. Ed watched the girl shake in her defensive position. With her arms no longer on her stomach, Ed could see the growing red blotches against the white gauze. The wounds were open again.

"It's alright, he's gone now." Hawkeye placed a gentle hands on the girl's back. "He won't bother you again, I'll make sure of that."

" ..why... Is Uncle Roy m...mad?" Sarah uncurled herself. "I'm sorry...sorry... I'm sorry..."

His eyes involuntarily closed at the sight of the tears that dripped from her eyes. He didn't want to see anyone else cry. Not after everything he'd seen.

"Edward, will you go call the nurse?"

He nodded and headed out the door.

Even with this new gate, he couldn't do anything. He was still helpless.

Why?

Eli?

Why had Eli given up everything for him?

Especially if he was only going to be still helpless during times like this?

Just why?

_"Otōto-kun, you don't understand. Things happen and you can't do anything about it, even though you want to. This is war."_

"What war?"

He got no reply.

If anything, he'd need to start with gaining the trust of someone who feared alchemists. As long as he didn't have Mustang's temper about certain things, he figured he would get pretty far.

She gets released in two days, and it was a pretty long trip to Resembool, which gave him a good amount of time.

" I've got this."

Oh, crap, the nurse!

**O.o**

** Sooner than later, huh?**

** Oh, and I apologize to my favoriter. I completely over looked you. I am so sorry, ...**

** My deepest apologies to shim.**

**On other hands- I have more than two apparently now? - thanks for the reviews and the views...**

** o.O**


	4. Chapter 4

A tilted head confirmed that his question did not make sense, and would not be answered. Not that any of his questions had been answered.

Or the colonel's questions either. His were just blatantly ignored. Sarah seemed mad at the colonel, rather than afraid.

But either way, they weren't getting anywhere.

It want until Lieutenant Hawkeye walked in, did the two state alchemists get anywhere. Hawkeye was carrying the clothes that the colonel had ordered that she go find. Apparently, Roy didn't want Sarah back on the streets with the same ratty clothes she had come in with.

Sarah didn't shrink back from the woman, she didn't even flinch at her touch either.

"Are you hungry? You haven't touched the food Ed bought you."

A stomach growl was the answer given.

"Here, you've got to eat something." A package was handed over. "I've brought you some clothes for when you get out."

Sarah nodded, her mouth obstructed by the bread that was still halfway in the package.

"I've been wondering, why were you in the alley?"

"... Safe...est... Place I could... Find..." Sarah pulled the half eaten piece of bread out of her mouth with her still popping automail, her real arm pressed to her stomach. "Alchemists... Leave me... Alone there..."

"Living in an alley is lonely, isn't it?"

"Sometimes..."

"Would you like to tell me why you were missing for so long?"

"No one... Looked for me..."

"That's a lie!" This time the colonel broke in, shouting at the girl and causing her to drop the packages of food and immediately cover her head with both arms, leaving her stomach no longer held. "We searched for you everywhere! Even in Ishval! I pressed it on for a year to find you!"

"Colonel! I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room now."

"What now, Hawkeye? What am I doing wrong?"

"I understand your frustration with her case, but you can't take it out on the victim. Please leave the room or I will have you forcefully removed."

The door slammed heavily after the blue clad soldier. Ed watched the girl shake in her defensive position. With her arms no longer on her stomach, Ed could see the growing red blotches against the white gauze. The wounds were open again.

"It's alright, he's gone now." Hawkeye placed a gentle hands on the girl's back. "He won't bother you again, I'll make sure of that."

" ..why... Is Uncle Roy m...mad?" Sarah uncurled herself. "I'm sorry...sorry... I'm sorry..."

His eyes involuntarily closed at the sight of the tears that dripped from her eyes. He didn't want to see anyone else cry. Not after everything he'd seen.

"Edward, will you go call the nurse?"

He nodded and headed out the door.

Even with this new gate, he couldn't do anything. He was still helpless.

Why?

Eli?

Why had Eli given up everything for him?

Especially if he was only going to be still helpless during times like this?

Just why?

_"Otōto-kun, you don't understand. Things happen and you can't do anything about it, even though you want to. This is war."_

"What war?"

He got no reply.

If anything, he'd need to start with gaining the trust of someone who feared alchemists. As long as he didn't have Mustang's temper about certain things, he figured he would get pretty far.

She gets released in two days, and it was a pretty long trip to Resembool, which gave him a good amount of time.

" I've got this."

Oh, crap, the nurse!

* * *

**O.o**

** Hey guys!**

** Hospital scene almost over with... I am going to see if I can be able to finish by next chapter**

** Thanks to all the peoples who read this.**

** o.O**


	5. Chapter 5

_"Show Daddy what you figured out!" _

_She knew something was wrong. Her daddy's voice was shaking. What was wrong with Daddy? Who were the other people? She's seen them with Daddy before. Especially the one with the pretty golden hair._

_ She nodded anyway, and brought her hands together. The man with the pretty golden hair grinned at her when he saw it. Daddy was coughing now. There were others in the room now. Eight others. And one of them had pretty golden hair too. Long pretty hair. But the other seven were scary looking, even the child that grinned at her._

_ "It's okay, honey, show me what you figured out!"_

_ "I'm waiting, Andrew. You said she knows alchemy." The man with the pretty golden hair was being mean now. Why was he being mean to Daddy? Is it because she wasn't showing him what she figured out?_

_ "Don't touch my daughter. She knows, just show me, sweetie." Her daddy smiled at her, even though his voice shook and there was red stuff on his lips._

_ She nodded again, and kneeled to the ground, making it light up with a circle that wasn't there beforehand. The light was always so pretty. It was even prettier when she didn't have to draw it. She never understood it._

_ "That's beautiful, sweetie." Daddy called put, coughing again._

_ "Andrew, that circle's missing something, isn't it?" The man with the golden hair called out._

_ The guy with the long pretty hair was thrown into the middle of the circle beside her. The circle itself changed around her, the runes forming to different ones. The circle looked a lot like the one in Daddy's study. But the one in Daddy's study had a lot of ted stuff on it. She wasn't supposed to be in the study, so she wasn't going to tell Daddy she knew what the circle was. She didn't want to get in trouble._

_ "Don't do this to her, she's only seven! And that boy's only fourteen!"_

_ "A seven year old and a fourteen year old that can use alchemy without the use of circles. Without performing human transmutation before? They're geniuses! They're perfect."_

_ "Dammit! You already have me!"_

_ "I need more than one sacrifice, Andrew. I wouldn't be using your daughter if I could just get Hohenheim."_

_ The pretty light begun to fade from her vision, and it was replaced by a blinding white expanse of... Space. _

_"Such a bright future to look forward to."_

_ "What's your name?"_

_ "The universe. The world. God. More importantly, you."_

She sat up, throwing off the sheets with her good arm. It had been a long time since she's had that nightmare. The nightmare of the day where her fear of alchemists had grown. Her hands were shaking, even her automail one, where the nerves were disconnected. They shook due to that one nerve that was allowing the arm to continue to be attached that remained.

That reminded her: she wasn't going to trust another alchemist.

* * *

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Breee.

Chirp.

Tick.

Temp.

Temp.

Temp.

B-bmp.

Tak.

Since when was a hospital so loud, even when it was quiet? The click kept ticking away, even when the doctor head left her room with his hard rubber treads. Even though she could hear a woman's crying from a room down the hall. Even when the bird had flown away from her windowsill. But it was so quiet at the same time that she could hear her heartbeat reverberate throughout her body. Get blood pound against her tightly wrapped bandages.

And it reminded her: she didn't like silence. It wax depressing.

It was like _that_ place.

There were footsteps outside her door. She only cared to fully pay attention once she noticed that they stopped outside her door.

"If you're... Going to not yell... Come in." Her voice wasn't loud, and her lungs still felt compressed.

"I would ask how you knew," The footsteps echoed after the door clicked open, "but I already know."

The footsteps neared the bed.

"I wonder what type father would say if he knew you were alive."

"... He would... Throw a... P... Party."

"Sounds like him." She felt a weight at the edged of her uncomfortable hospital bed. "It's been a long time, Sarah."

"You too... Roy."

"Aw, what happened to 'Uncle'?"

"You became a h... Human weapon..."

There was a laugh that shook the edge of the bed, "That's what your father's reason was."

The bird was back at her windowsill now.

"You'll be released tomorrow. Where are you going to go?"

She shook her head. There want anywhere in particular. Away from anyone who would hurt her is best. She was done with being hurt.

"... where are... The other... Alchemists?"

"Fullmetal and Al?" The weight shifted, causing the irritating itchy sheets to wrinkle. "Fullmetal left to go call his mechanic, and Alphonse is apparently moral support."

She kept quiet, and felt the weight leave the edge of her bed.

The bird was still at her windowsill, singing in a pretty voice.

"Are you hungry? Fullmetal left a bag of food for you, of you're up to eating. If not, this'll stay here-"

"Alchemists... Scare me..."

There were footsteps at her door now. Cloth shifted and rubbed against itself.

"I know, Sarah."

* * *

Ed watched the exposed mechanical tendons flex as they caught grip on the crutch holding her left side up. Hawkeye was helping the girl as she grew accustomed to the awkward weight.

If anything, Sarah looked better.

The clothes fit her almost perfectly, save the left boot that wouldn't fit better until she had proper automail. The simple white tank with the black thinner tank beneath paired seamlessly with the black leather pants. Her silvery streams were brushed now, and ran almost as long as his own. But they still hung in her face, obstructing her vision.

"Edward is going to take you to Resembool to get your automail fixed." He heard Hawkeye say.

Ed held out his hand for her to take. He figured she'd need some help walking with the crutch, if taking Al home was any example.

Sarah hesitated.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Ed watched as she hesitated since more, but her hand still rose until it was approximately the same height as his. He dropped his until it was under hers. Her hand was shaking.

He smiled when he felt her cold hand drop into his.

Sarah at least trusted him that much.

Even if it was just a little.

* * *

**O.o**

** Yay, no more hospital scene...**

** Onward, to whatever's next.**

** Reviews are like zombies to me.**

** I love them...**

** But I won't make anyone do anything they don't want to.**

** Thanks to the supporters.**

** o.O**


	6. Chapter 6

He paused, turning to the armor, who was cradling the broken body of the sleeping girl. After the brothers had finished their conversation, the train had pulled into the station of Resembool. They had momentarily considered waking her up, but waking up the girl had been quickly dropped because of her peaceful looking face she had as she slept. Al had offered to carry her, simply because he wouldn't tire.

Now they stood outside they had returned to last with Al's body. His real body. They had left with Al is a suit of armor and Ed's new gate.

Ed swallowed, and knocked on the door. It was promptly opened and the overly petite form of Pinako emerged. She took one glance at the group and stepped back, allowing the three inside calling, "Put her in the operating room. We need to get those off before she wakes up."

"Why?"

"Not every one of those builders in Rush Valley can actually properly set up a set of nerves." Pinako took a long breath on her pipe. "Winry should be in there."

Al said nothing more as he exited the room and disappeared down the hall. Ed signed heavily and sat down on the aging house couch, his shoulders falling.

"She was involved with alchemy, wasn't she?"

"She didn't do this to herself, if that's what you're implying."

"Then what happened?"

He shook his head, "All we know, is that she's the daughter of a state alchemist, and that an alchemist was what took her limbs away. Along with her eyesight."

"She's blind?"

He nodded to this, "And severely afraid of alchemists."

Al walked into the room then two occupied, arms empty. From the room, the three could hear soft pained groans coming from the room the girls resided in.

"How old is she?"

This caused the two brothers to look at each other. They had completely forgotten to either ask the doctor or at least Mustang.

"You don't know?"

"Well, we never needed to know."

"I do. Depending in her age, it changes which version of automail we use."

"I'll call Mustang..." Ed sighed, pushing himself up. "I'll be using the phone... If anyone wants to save me." When no one responded, he huffed and made his way to the phone.

"This scar isn't like the one Ed had on his arm." The mechanic spoke softly, pressing there tape measure against the girl's real arm, noting the measurement on a pad of paper.

"That's because it was taken off in a more vulgar way." Pinako commented, taking another huff of her long pipe. The petite woman tapped the broken and shattered automail, "It looks more like a war scar."

"War scar?"

"Like the people who come here with wounds from the Civil War. Amputees to limbs that had been blown off. This arm wasn't lost the way Ed's was."

"If that's the case, then she's at least Al's age. That tiny body is at least fifteen."

"Yes, but none of the scars on her arm or leg is new, however, the other ones are."

"We found her in an alley way. She was probably hurt by a runaway military officer or a stray explosion." He crossed his arms and leaned against a stool in the far corner, Al stepping beside him. "But an investigation will be impossible with the way she acts around others."

"What's it like?"

"Alchemists specifically. She's deathly afraid of them. We don't know why exactly, but it has something to do with the missing limbs. That's all we know." He shrugged, watching the mechanic run the tape measure against the still sleeping form's leg.

Pinako paused a moment, heading over to where files were kept. She thumbed through them. She made an approved sound as she pulled out a file. "I've seen this child before. She is the daughter of one of my customers. But he hasn't shown up in years. He was a state alchemist that lost his lower legs in a mortar blast during the Civil War." She pulled out the designs, adding, "I remember him because he asked for a winter style of automail, even though he said he was stationed in Ishval."

"He's the Frost Alchemist. He didn't want them freezing I guess." Al was the one to speak up.

"Good call on his part." Pinako held her pipe up to her lips, "But for now, you two boys need to leave Winry to deal with the automail. We'll talk outside."

Ed stole one last glance at Sarah, who was moving her head in pain against Winry's movements, even though she was still asleep - thanks to a weak sedative.

"What idiot lines a child's nerves up wrong?!" He heard the mechanic say as he closed the door, following the others outside.

_ Eli, what am I supposed to do? There isn't a war to fight._

_ Yet_

The rain hurt. It had always hurt since he received his automail, but ever since he had regained his lost arm, the rain only stung him deeper.

It had only just started raining, despite the cloudless sky that was there earlier this afternoon, and only started after the pained groans and noises had drawn to a silence that echoed through the house. Winry had taken to her room, measurements and the designs for his old automail in tow. Pinako remained silent, even though she meticulously stirred the stew that bubbled in the pot.

"Brother, can I talk to you?"

Ed was brought out of his droning thoughts to look up at the armor that was his brother. He nodded and dragged himself out of the slump he had been in on the couch. "Of course."

He allowed Al to lead him upstairs, to the shared room they were staying in. "What's up?" He called, plopping down on the bed claimed as his own.

"Something's been bothering me." Al started once the door was fully shut behind Ed. "It's about what you said."

"Which thing?"

"The rebound... What if she was actually an alchemist?"

"And she tried _that_... Right?" Ed cut in.

Al nodded for a response.

"Al, we can't say anything for certain as of now. We don't know what happened to her, and she has a right not to trust people like you said. We don't know her story."

"What's got you all right with the world?"

"I've just been thinking, that's all."

"Brother... Does it hurt?"

Ed looked where Al's face was looking. His hand was absently rubbing his leg attachment, pressing down with the lightest touch. But he didn't move his hand.

"I guess it does."

"Do you think she's hurting?"

"When she wakes up, probably. But she's asleep and the rain won't bother her if she's asleep."

Al nodded, falling victim to the overwhelming silence as well. Neither of the brothers moved. Not until they heard Pinako's voice echo up the stairs.

"Will you boys come down? I need some extra hands."

"Coming!" Al was the first to speak, as well as the first to move.

"Yeah, yeah." He called, convincing himself to get up.

She laid there in complete silence. People were moving within the building - house - she was in, and no doubt they'd know she was awake more by now. She fought the urge to pull out the IV stuck in her elbow, in case the alchemists wanted it there and would get mad if she took it out. That, and it would hurt to yank it out.

She brought her real arm up, painfully pushing the sheets away from her chin. The sheets weren't scratchy to the touch for once. The room didn't smell like death and chemicals. Just blood, sweat, and oil.

"So you are awake."

She gave a pained noise as a response. And quickly she discovered that moving wasn't an immediate option. Her left side nerves were on fire, mainly the plastic leg in place of her automail.

"Your nerves weren't set up properly." The State alchemist called, finding refuge somewhere in the opposite side of the room.

Even though her nerves burned, there was a lingering ache. An ache caused by one thing, "... Rain?"

"Yeah. Tell someone if you need any medicine."

She didn't response, only continued to stare blankly at the ceiling. She had to admit, she tried to ignore the pain, but it was becoming too hard to completely ignore.

Which meant she was rather glad when a set of footsteps distracted her from the pain jolting up her left side. The owner of the footsteps stopped, opened the door and entered.

Once the owner if the footsteps walked over to her, she heard, "Ed, go get the pain pills from Winry." The owner of the footsteps didn't speak until the alchemist left the room. "Child, what is your name?"

She didn't speak up.

"I'm not an alchemist. I work with people hurt with lost limbs."

"Sarah."

"And your father's name?"

"... Andrew."

"I thought so."

She recognized it as a woman's voice. An elderly woman's voice at that. She didn't sound like an alchemist, or anyone that would hurt her. At least there was another person she could trust. One of the two.

"Will you be eating dinner?"

She slightly turned her head to the side.

"I need to know if I'm setting another place for you."

"She gonna say no. But she's hungry. Set a place for her anyway."

"But... I'm not hun-"

"Yes, you are. You aren't going to get better without eating properly." The alchemist entered the room, a bottle or something rattling in his hand. "I'll get her to the table, because she can't do anything without help right now."

"Need I remind you, you were once in this position?" The woman called, stepping out of the room.

The alchemist mumbled something low enough that she couldn't understand. Then he shook the bottle, perhaps in to his hand. She guessed that it was some sort of pain medication. "Here." He called, stepping out of the doorway he never got past. "Take these. I brought you water too."

She didn't respond to him. She still couldn't trust him. He was an alchemist, just like the one who hurt her.

"Either you can take them by yourself, or I will force them in your mouth and make you swallow them." When she didn't respond, she heard him step forward and felt warm hands grasp her chin.

She almost jerked back, but then she remembered that she was still lying on the bed. She couldn't get further back no matter how hard she wanted to. Three fingers pulled her jaw down, and the other pressed two capsules into her mouth. They tasted bitter and dried her mouth. But the hand never left her jaw, and a glass was brought to her now slightly open mouth.

After much struggling, she was forced to swallow the capsules.

"Stubborn little girl."

"Hot headed alchemist."

"What did you call me?"

She kept quiet, even though she knew he had heard her. She heard him sigh, and shift after setting something down on the table that was apparently beside the bed. There were warm hands pulling her out of the bed, and arms holding her up as she adjusted to holding her body weight up on the plastic leg.

"You better eat."

She gave a pained noise as a response.

The silverware clinked against the plates. The mechanic slowed her eating pace when she noticed the suit of armor grabbing the spoon and holding it up to the girl's mouth.

Al was quick to answer, "She's unfamiliar with the utensils. I'm just helping her because I'm not eating anyway."

"She's not a helpless little-" Ed was interrupted with the sudden sound of rolling thunder to accompany the flash of lightning. "The rain is getting worse."

"Are you alright, Sarah?" Al called, worry lacing his words.

Ed turned to see her with her head facing the ground.

"Someone... Is... Inside..."


	7. Chapter 7

The rain hurt. It had always hurt since he received his automail, but ever since he had regained his lost arm, the rain only stung him deeper.

It had only just started raining, despite the cloudless sky that was there earlier this afternoon, and only started after the pained groans and noises had drawn to a silence that echoed through the house. Winry had taken to her room, measurements and the designs for his old automail in tow. Pinako remained silent, even though she meticulously stirred the stew that bubbled in the pot.

"Brother, can I talk to you?"

Ed was brought out of his droning thoughts to look up at the armor that was his brother. He nodded and dragged himself out of the slump he had been in on the couch. "Of course."

He allowed Al to lead him upstairs, to the shared room they were staying in. "What's up?" He called, plopping down on the bed claimed as his own.

"Something's been bothering me." Al started once the door was fully shut behind Ed. "It's about what you said."

"Which thing?"

"The rebound... What if she was actually an alchemist?"

"And she tried that... Right?" Ed cut in.

Al nodded for a response.

"Al, we can't say anything for certain as of now. We don't know what happened to her, and she has a right not to trust people like you said. We don't know her story."

"What's got you all right with the world?"

"I've just been thinking, that's all."

"Brother... Does it hurt?"

Ed looked where Al's face was looking. His hand was absently rubbing his leg attachment, pressing down with the lightest touch. Buy he didn't move his hand.

"I guess it does."

"Do you think she's hurting?"

"When she wakes up, probably. But she's asleep and the rain won't bother her if she's asleep."

Al nodded, falling victim to the overwhelming silence as well. Neither of the brothers moved. Not until they heard Pinako's voice echo up the stairs.

"Will you boys come down? I need some extra hands."

"Coming!" Al was the first to speak, as well as the first to move.

"Yeah, yeah." He called, convincing himself to get up.

* * *

She laid there in complete silence. People were moving within the building - house - she was in, and no doubt they'd know she was awake more by now. She fought the urge to pull out the IV stuck in her elbow, in case the alchemists wanted it there and would get mad if she took it out. That, and it would hurt to yank it out.

She brought her real arm up, painfully pushing the sheets away from her chin. The sheets weren't scratchy to the touch for once. The room didn't smell like death and chemicals. Just blood, sweat, and oil.

"So you are awake."

She gave a pained noise as a response. And quickly she discovered that moving wasn't an immediate option. Her left side nerves were on fire, mainly the plastic leg in place of her automail.

"Your nerves weren't set up properly." The State alchemist called, finding refuge somewhere in the opposite side of the room.

Even though her nerves burned, there was a lingering ache. An ache caused by one thing, "... Rain?"

"Yeah. Tell someone if you need any medicine."

She didn't response, only continued to stare blankly at the ceiling. She had to admit, she tried to ignore the pain, but it was becoming too hard to completely ignore.

Which meant she was rather glad when a set of footsteps distracted her from the pain jolting up her left side. The owner of the footsteps stopped, opened the door and entered.

Once the owner if the footsteps walked over to her, she heard, "Ed, go get the pain pills from Winry." The owner of the footsteps didn't speak until the alchemist left the room. "Child, what is your name?"

She didn't speak up.

"I'm not an alchemist. I work with people hurt with lost limbs."

"Sarah."

"And your father's name?"

"... Andrew."

"I thought so."

She recognised it as a woman's voice. An elderly woman's voice at that. She didn't sound like an alchemist, or anyone that would hurt her. At least there was another person she could trust. One of the two.

"Will you be eating dinner?"

She slightly turned her head to the side.

"I need to know if I'm setting another place for you."

"She gonna say no. But she's hungry. Set a place for her anyway."

"But... I'm not hun-"

"Yes, you are. You aren't going to get better without eating properly." The alchemist entered the room, a bottle or something rattling in his hand. "I'll get here to the table, because she can't do anything without help right now."

"Need I remind you, you were once in this position?" The woman called, stepping out of the room.

The alchemist mumbled something low enough that she couldn't understand. Then he shook the bottle, perhaps in to his hand. She guessed that it was some sort of pain medication. "Here." He called, stepping out of the doorway he never got past. "Take these. I brought you water too."

She didn't respond to him. She still couldn't trust him. He was an alchemist, just like the one who hurt her.

"Either you can take them by yourself, or I will force them in your mouth and make you swallow them." When she didn't respond, she heard him step forward and felt warm hands grasp her chin.

She almost jerked back, but then she remembered that she was still lying on the bed. She couldn't get further back no matter how hard she wanted to. Three fingers pulled her jaw down, and the other pressed two capsules into her mouth. They tasted bitter and dried her mouth. But the hand never left her jaw, and a glass was brought to her now slightly open mouth.

After much struggling, she was forced to swallow the capsules.

"Stubborn little girl."

"Hot headed alchemist."

"What did you call me?"

She kept quiet, even though she knew he had heard her. She heard him sigh, and shift after setting something down on the table that was apparently beside the bed. There were warm hands pulling her out of the bed, and arms holding her up as she adjusted to holding her body weight up on the plastic leg.

"You better eat."

She gave a pained noise as a response.

* * *

The silverware clinked against the plates. The mechanic slowed her eating pace when she noticed the suit of armour grabbing the spoon and holding it up to the girl's mouth.

Al was quick to answer, "She's unfamiliar with the utensils. I'm just helping her because I'm not eating anyway."

"She's not a helpless little-" Ed was interrupted with the sudden sound of rolling thunder to accompany the flash of of lightning. "The rain is getting worse."

"Are you alright, Sarah?" Al called, worry lacing his words.

Ed turned to see her with her head facing the ground.

"Someone... Is... Inside..."

* * *

**O.o**

** Boo.**

** I'm not dead. Just been busy.**

** But I is back.**

** Thanks for all the support, ya guys.**

** Shout out to ryumaki1031 for the use of the next character to appear. You'll understand later.**

** Reviews would be epic to get, but if ya don't want to, that's fine too.**

** o.O**


	8. Chapter 8

The silence was brought back to the room. The four looked around. It remained silent until Al commented, "There isn't anyone here except us."

Sarah shifted, her head turning to the right, into the darkness of the living room, where the candle smoke left the area. There came no noise or movement.

"Someone... Is here." She stated again, more forcefully now. "In the corner."

"I don't see anyone." Ed called.

"I'm not lying."

Since when did the small, frail girl's voice become so forceful? It uncharacteristically erupted from her. There was only one way to find out who was telling the truth. Ed stood up, and entered the room. There was nothing in the immediate area. However, he noticed that all the candles were blown out, and the window was now open. Which it wasn't like the last he checked.

He took one more step, stopping his noises, and listened. He didn't know exactly what he was listening for, but he stayed silent.

Then he heard it.

Soft, labored breathing.

"Who's there?"

No one answered. He took another step, waiting for another flash of lightning. And he was glad when it came. It was only then, when the light crashed along with the roll of thunder, did he finally see the form of the person he was looking for.

"She's... Hurt." Ed heard Sarah mumble loudly. "The smell of blood is everywhere... It... Reminds..." Her voice dropped as lightning struck and illuminated the room once more.

The person Sarah was talking about, was now standing in the middle of the room. Light from Al's now lit candle flooded the room. Ed could now make out the girls form. She was taller than Winry, which made her far taller than Sarah, but she was slightly shorter than he. She was wearing a black leather top that was sleeveless and covered a white tank underneath. Half of a shirt billowed out behind a pair of black leather shorts that fell to her knees. But what caught Ed's attention the most, was the striking green eyes half hidden by the water logged waist length hair.

And that was the last thing he remembered before a knee was sent into where the sun didn't shine. He toppled over, crumpling into a small ball on the floor. He heard the clunking of his brother enter the room. He watched through tear filled eyes as the girl sunk to the ground in a swift motion.

And he barely saw her rise to bring her leg up to take a full forced kick at the armor's head, knocking it clean off.

"H-hold on! Please calm down!" Al cried, saving his arms around, vaguely hearing his metal head bounce against the tile flooring.

"Y-your head!" The girl responded.

"It's just what it looks like, I don't have a body! Will you calm down?!"

The girl flicked her head from side to side, looking at the three other females, and the talking, headless armor.

"You're... Hurt... Even if you don't trust them... Rest for one night."

"Why should I trust you!? Much less these others!"

"Because I don't trust them either... They haven't killed be yet... And I'm in worse shape than you." Sarah called softly, her weak chest rising and falling heavily.

"...Fine."

"So let me get this straight… We suddenly have _another_ girl to deal with now? Who also doesn't trust us for unknown reasons?"

"Yes…"

"Just our luck."

The two brothers were sitting in the opposite corner of the room while the two girls slept. How Sarah had managed to convince and slightly calm down the still nameless girl, neither brother could answer. Instead, they only stayed relatively quiet, supposedly staying quiet, compared to the normal noise that echoed throughout the house. The house's noise level had dropped enough that they could hear Winry working on the automail. It was a rhythmic beat and clanging to the metal.

"Who do you think she is?" Al asked softly, not breaking the impeding silence.

"Someone who's been hurt."

"Two people who have been hurt. And yet, they find us. People who just found reason to move forward."

Ed let out a laugh, "It would seem that there was a reason."

_Isn't that right, Eli?_

_Daddy had been crying, she could tell. His eyes were puffy and swollen. Daddy gave her a forced smile when he noticed her. He was sitting at the dinner table. Which was odd for her to find him there, considering he was usually at work or busy in the study. _

_"What's wrong, Daddy?"_

_She was given a happy smile, "Daddy's just run into a problem."_

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Don't worry about it, sweetie." _

_But she still wanted to know. Daddy never told her anything. He always told her not to worry, and stopped the conversation there. He'd been looking more and more tired lately. He also had been working a lot too. He hadn't been home all too much. It'd been at least three days since he'd been home longer than overnight._

_"I… I'm sorry it's been so long since we've been able to be together. Do you want me to play a game with you?"_

_"I wanna know why you're crying."_

_Daddy gave her a laugh, "You really are just like your mother in being persistent." There was a sniff, and Daddy continued, "I was just thinking, that's all. One of Daddy's friends threatened something important to me."_

_"Who?"_

_"You don't know him. You haven't met him."_

_"Can I meet him?"_

_"Absolutely not." Daddy's voice was harsh for his words._

_"..oh… okay."_

_"Sarah… do you like alchemy?"_

_She nodded with a smile growing on her face. "Uh-huh!"_

_"Do you know the rules?"_

_"Equivalent Exchange, don't make gold, and don't ever try to create a human."_

_"And the last one, where do you think it came from?"_

_"People who tried it and found out they couldn't. Not without a huge toll."_

_"How do you know about the toll?"_

_"A book."_

_Daddy visibly sighed in relief. "Daddy knows about it from a different way."_

_"How?"_

_"You need to promise Daddy something."_

_"…Okay?"_

_"Promise me, that you will never break any of the rules."_

_"I promise, Daddy."_

_"Uncle Roy will be here in twenty minutes to pick me up. We have to go to Ishval."_

_"Who's going to stay with me?"_

_"A friend of mine. He'll be staying here."_

_"What's his name?"_

_"Eli."_

She shifted, the sheets weren't scratchy. The room was quiet.

_This is war._

**O.o  
I ain't dead, guys... Just been working on my novel, and then there's hours' worth of homework that the teachers shove at us because they didn't get to over break and feel as they must make up for it. That being said, that's no excuse for having this chapter so short, it update so much later than usual. I really do apologize, so I took the time to type at least this part up for ya guys.  
Again, I really do apologize for this chapter being so short, and for it talking more than at least a week.  
I really do thank all the supporters of this story, all the reviews, follows, and favorites.  
Reviews are welcome but not required.  
o.O**


	9. Chapter 9

_Why had it happened? But it was gone and she knew it. The one thing that had ever made her happy had vanished._

_Without a single warning._

_Her world was black. She was alone again. But now… it was far worse._

_Blood. There was blood everywhere. People were scattering all around her. A single shot was fired. He was on the ground now. A man in a mask had fled from the scene. But she couldn't think._

_She ran as fast as she possibly could in her daze, skidding to the ground in a kneel by his side._

_"Kirik! Kirik! Kirik!" She shouted, feeling hot tears rumble down her face._

_She absently knew she had to stop the bleeding as she tore from her own clothing and pressed the cloth to his chest. But the blood just kept falling and falling. Never stopping. Soon, the cloth was soaked through with crimson life. She moved to rip more fabric when she felt a cold touch brush against her arm. _

_It belonged to _him.

_"A..isa." His eyes barely stayed open, and crimson life seeped from the corners of his mouth._

_She dropped her arms and took his hand in grasp._

_"Stay with me! Don't leave me…" She clenched his hand tighter, shakily holding it to her muddied cheek. The hot tears burned her cheeks._

_"It's… going to be… alright…" The sound of his voice was extremely weak. He tried to move his head, only ending with a weak gasp of pain._

_"Don't speak, I'll-"_

_There was a pair of hands that took her arms in grasp and lifted her away from him._

_She could've sworn that someone had spoken to her, but she didn't care. She didn't recognize any of the people. Why were they here so late?_

_She remembered shouting, voices echoing in her head, but her attention stayed fixed to him. The people dressed in medical fatigues moved about her, and the arms eventually let her go._

_"Wake up! Please!"_

_The officers said nothing around her._

_By this point, she couldn't tell if the wetness that fell from her face was from her weeping eyes, or from the rain. It was going to rain today, she knew. The two of them were going to go into town for the festival._

_"This can't be happening…"_

_But the cooling body and the lack of a life giving heartbeat proved it._

_She was alone now. She could only think of him. She was the reason for him to keep going, and now… he was gone._

__Aarisa jolted with the resonating sound of thunder throughout the room. She'd been dreaming again. Dreaming of a forlorn memory that would soon become a thing of the past. But it would only be a memory soon, she knew.

The thunder rolled again, sending a flash of light into the room through the only window in the room. She noticed another body sitting up in the room. The other figure, she recognized as the ice cold frosted haired girl who had called out to her, and made her agreed against her will. It was strange, all she knew at that time was to agree with what the younger, one-armed girl. Something was in her mind, and whatever it was, it was gone now.

"Sorry..." The figure spoke now, the sound of a quiet voice erupted into the room. "... But you weren't listening..."

"How did you do it?" Her throat was raw, and her voice hurt. Not to say it was the only thing hurting, considering her entire body burned with pain. But then again, training wasn't exactly easy.

"Carefully." Was her reply. Not exactly an answer.

"Did you use alchemy?"

"Alchemists... Scare me."

What kind of answer was that? Then again, it wasn't an answer she hadn't heard before from other civilians. Alchemists were alchemists and could do amazing things.

And that's all she cared about.

She watched the figure pause, give a shiver, and yawn absently.

Now, for now, she was stuck with this figure, considering the room was dry and the bed was warm.

**Wh**en dawn finally touched the earth, sunlight streaked into the room. The girls sat up, the newest followed by the slightly elder accompanying one. Neither of the two spoke, only absently staring at each other. The short, elderly woman entered the room precisely when the clock on the wall chimed for seven.

"How are you feeling?" She asked aloud, and Sarah assumed she had spoken to the other girl.

When silence was the only answer aside from the pair of shuffling feet and the ticking sound of the clock, Pinako added, "You need to tell me. I ain't dealing with another silent character."

Sarah smiled at the comment. She only reached up her real hand and rubbed at her shoulder attachment, then stated, "You can trust her."

"... I feel fine... Thank you."

Pinako made some more shuffling around the room, before her small hands pressed something into her ribs on the left side. "You'll be waking up fully in three hours, we'll see how you can walk then."

And then a wave of sleepiness clashed over her. She'd been given medicine. That's what she gets for waking up early for once. This was not going to become a habit.

"You'll be fine."

Yes, that was a great promise.

"And for the other girl," Pinako commented, "We'll be moving you into the kitchen for breakfast."

"Breakfast?"

"You are our guest until you walk out the door."

There was a shuffling and then Pinako and the newest girl exited the room, the door giving a soft click before the room fell completely silent and she fell victim to the medicine.

She shoveled the eggs into her mouth. Damn, she'd forgotten what real food tasted like. Real, homemade, hot off the stove food. The pain in her side didn't hurt anymore, thanks to the pain pills that the guy in the armor had given her. Well, she assumed it was a guy. She pushed the sausage out of the way to get to the last of her eggs, before stuffing them into her mouth.

"Calm down with the food. You're gonna make yourself sick." The guy with the gold hair commented,stuffing his own face.

Sighing, she grabbed her glass, chugging the orange liquid.

The mechanic who had come and done a quick measurement on the other girl last night walked in, stretching widely, "I'm glad the storm stopped."

"Did you get some sleep, Winry?" The armor said in the younger voice than she was expecting. "I heard you finished Sarah's leg and arm."

"I finished in the middle of the night!" The mechanic replied with a smile.

"I wonder if she can fight."

The three looked at her, the elderly woman only stirred the pot still on the stove.

"I just wonder." She commented.

"Why?"

"Just 'Cuz." She shrugged.

"What's your name?" The armor asked, tilting his helmet.

"Aarisa." She commented, "Who are you guys?"'

"Alphonse Elric." The armor pointed at himself. "And that's my older brother, Ed." He pointed at the guy with golden hair, who only looked at her.

"I'm Winry, the mechanic!" She added. "And that's Granny!"

She only nodded to each of them. Interesting people, but they probably wouldn't be able to help her.

"Ed, Mustang called back. He found out where Sarah's been hiding. I don't know exactly what that means, and frankly, I want to stay out of this." Pinako commented.

"I'll have to call him back later." Ed only added more food into his mouth. "Where's Sarah right now?"

"Recovering in Winry's work room." Al commented, "Are you worried?"

Ed stayed quiet, only looking away and grabbing his glass.

"She should be up soon, considering that sedative didn't last long." Winry added. "She was awake by the end of attachment."

"... And now I'm sore."

Ed took no time in standing up to offer his seat for the girl with the white hair. Weird color for hair.

"Ed! I could've given my chair up! I'm not even eating!" Al called when Ed pushed a plate of food in front of the girl. The same girl who had performed the little mind trick. What, was she helpless now?

"I have to make a phone call back to... Him." Ed visibly shuddered, "Just make sure she eats, and don't feed her, she has two arms now."

"Ed! Don't give blind people knives!" Winry cried.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Aarisa blinked and stared forward, watching the scene in front of her. This would be an interesting time if she could manage to stay with them. At least for now.

She glanced to her left, watching Sarah smile softly and pick up her fork after a moment of searching.

**O.o**

**I'm not dead!**

**Just had some troubles with getting through writer's block, so if this is short, my apologies.**

**Thanks and shout out to ****_ryumaki1031_**** for helping me through to finishing this chapter. Updates should be coming more regularly now.**

**Thanks to all the supporters.**

**Reviews are awesomely epic, but absolutely positively never required.**

**See ya soon.**

**o.O**


	10. Chapter 10

"Well, her automail fits." Winry commented before giving a wrench a final tug. "And the last of the tuning is done."

"Thankfully! Maybe she'll actually do something by herself now." Ed commented, his head leaning against his hand.

"Brother! Don't be mean!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Go ahead and stand up again, Sarah." Winry called.

And she did, feeling rather wobbly for a moment before catching balance once again. The new leg was far better already than the broken cold, metal that had previously adorned her stump. It had better control and was lighter. It would be easier to run with it.

It would be easier to fight if she needed to.

"Can she fight?"

Oh, that was... Aarisa. The girl found last night. Stupid medicine throwing her off. She took a step, wobbling with weakness, but walking nevertheless.

"I don't think so." Ed commented back, "She's way too weak to be able to drop someone."

"Don't judge a book by its cover, shorty. I think she can fight." There was some shuffling as she fussed with the new shoulder with the attachment. "I want to see how good she is!"

"Please stop shouting... We're in a build... Ding." Her words were broken with a cough.

"Oh, yeah." Aarisa commented. "So, when do we leave?"

"We?"

"Yeah, we. I'm coming with you guys."

"When did you decide that?!"

"Um... Mr. Ed..." She broke in, "I asked her... To... Come with us..."

"Ah... What?" She assumed that the State alchemist turned to face her. "Why?"

"I felt... She needed to..."

"That didn't answer the question."

"... I'm sorry." Her arms dropped from their outstretched positions. "...I..."

The alchemist let out a big sigh, "Don't get in our way."

"Don't worry about me, shorty! I'll be fine!"

"Stop calling me short! It's not my fault you're a giant!"

"Shut it, shorty! I'm only an inch taller than you!"

She felt a smile inching onto her lips. Huh, smiling. How long had it been? How long ago was it that she had truly smiled? Of didn't matter.

It only reminded her that she didn't need to trust anyone.

Especially alchemists.

* * *

Pain.

There was only a chance to catch his breath. This man... No, demon, was still after him. True he was after something rather valuable to him, but he wasn't told how strong the man was. This... This was chaos.

He reached down to find his heavy foot frozen over with silver ice. He hadn't signed up to be used as a pawn between his boss and this crazy man. Frankly, he hadn't signed up. He should have gotten out when everyone else had. There was just no way he could deal with this himself. He couldn't even transmutate back to stop this demon. And from what he heard, this one wasn't even the one the boss was wary about.

"You should probably answer my questions before I get mad and have to resort to violence."

Before?

"Who are you working for?"

He couldn't reply, even if this guy ripped him apart.

"Why are you looking for my daughter?"

The ice grew on his leg, streaking up his thigh.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you to answer your elders?"

His hands were shaking now.

"Don't ever say I didn't warn you."

* * *

Edward Elric laughed when Sarah got toppled by Den. They had only successfully made it seven steps away from the stairs when the dog had come barrelling out of the tall grass. However, it took both he and Al to rescue the frail girl from him. Aarisa had fallen with a pit of laughter, but put that to her advantage as she helped both Sarah and herself up.

There was a slight wind that picked up as they started down the road to the train station. The storm that had blown through had been tail winded by a northern wind. Ed glanced back at the two girls, who were only a half pace behind the brothers. Neither spoke to each other, they just walked in the same stride. Aarisa, the girl walking with knee high black leather boots to accompany her leather, yet flexible outfit of a sleeveless top and a skirt thing with shorts. She had a wide smirk on her face in an unspoken joke. Sarah walked in stride with her, face held higher than before, but still low and still holding a frown.

She still didn't trust him, not that he'd given her a chance to. But still. He wanted to know why she didn't trust alchemists and what her past was. It was scratching at the back of his mind, and he had to know.

"Brother..."

He turned his head to face the younger, "Hm?"

"Why are you letting Aarisa come with us?"

He only shook his head. In truth, he didn't know. Even if the frail girl they were escorting had actually asked the new girl to come with, being Sarah's body guard meant he got the final say. And he had just let her come with them.

_The more allies you have the better_, Eli's voice echoed inside his head.

This is war.

* * *

**o.O**

**Heya guys. Two chapters in one night, and probably another soon.**

**If there's anyone actually reading this. If not, oh well.**

**Thanks for all the supports.**

**Reviews are awesomely epic, but absolutely positively never required.**

**See ya soon.**

**O.o**


	11. Chapter 11

_Flash. Flash. Flash._

_ Darkness. Echoes. _

_ The wanted. _

_ The people._

_ The good._

_ The evil._

_ It was rather silent, yet piercingly loud. Nothing bothered him, and yet everything did. He was alone and he was surrounded._

_ But he knew it was supposed to feel this way. He was gaining back something he had sacrificed for Al. Gaining control over another's Gate. It was a strange sensation. He could feel several years of transmutations going off inside his body. He could feel the soul binding of his younger brother happening within his own soul, even though it wasn't bound to him anymore. _

_ He was scared. If this didn't work, the rebound would hit him and everything else wouldn't matter anymore. He would leave Al and everyone else alone. If this transmutation failed, he'd be losing his life._

_ "How did you get back here?"_

_ He remained silent._

_ "This isn't your gate. Why are you here?"_

_ "He's here to make an agreement with me."_

_ "Very well. What deal are you willing to pay for?" There was a signature grin. "Do you want your brother's body back yet?"_

_ "No." Eli stepped forward. "The deal is mine. I give him control."_

_ "Of?"_

_ "My gate. It's mine, correct? I can do whatever I want with it." Eli called, touching it. "I give him control."_

_ "And the toll?"_

_ "I'll remain here. I'll be taken. He gets my gate, and I remain here with you."_

_ The grin grew and it turned towards him, "Are you willing?"_

_ He glanced at the wandering alchemist. He turned and looked at the gate. "I agree."_

_ "I wonder, little Elric..."_

_ Blackness covered his sight and pain struck through his head. The same pain as so long ago._

_ "...On which side will you end up?..."_

Ed snapped his eyes open, drawing in a quick breath. It wasn't exactly a nightmare, but it had still startled him nevertheless. He glanced around, finding nothing unusual. Everything was as he had left it before drifting off to sleep. Sarah and Aarisa were still sitting on the opposite bench of the corner where they sat. Sarah had drifted off to sleep at some point, followed by Aarisa. Both girls didn't seem to have gotten enough sleep last night.

"Brother?" He heard Al's quiet voice call.

He sat up, shaking his head. "What are we doing, Al?"

"Helping people."

"How is this helping you get your body back, or stop whatever war Eli keeps talking about?"

"War?"

He shook his head again. He didn't really know. This wasn't helping anything. They were looking after two girls that didn't even trust them. How could this possibly be helping any cause?

"We're almost there."

"That was quick."

"Well, we did opt for the shortest route." Al commented, "We got to Ishval faster, but we'll have to travel to the capital on foot."

"That'll take a few days." He huffed.

"It still looks stormy out."

Ed stood, "Wake girls up in a few minutes."

"Where are you going?"

"Am I not allowed to go to the bathroom after more than twenty hours on a train?"

He was sure Al would have grinned if he could.

The place was rather crowded, vendors and sellers lined the streets, hoping to sell their wares. There was hardly a place to step seven strides before running into an Ishvalan with something to sell. There were several just waiting to catch an unsuspecting tourist at the train station. The brothers brushed past them, the girls in tow. There would be only a small amount of time before the place was swamped, and they get separated. With this much foot traffic, it was going to take longer than a single day to get to the central area, and locate the state alchemist. The elder brother sighed, and leaned back to have the frail girl grab onto his coat, which she did so, thankfully, without question. Al and Aarisa led the way, Al's size creating just enough space for the rest of them to slip through. Not to mention that everyone aside them had parted in leeway of the giant suit of armor.

They got a few stares, partly because of the giant suit of armor that was his brother, and partly from the mismatch of non-Ishvalan people.

"Brother, we need to stick together!" He heard Al's voice call out barely.

"Yeah, we need to know where to go in case we don't."

"How about the Lucidity hotel! It's a mile north from here!" Aarisa joined in, pointing in the direction.

"Sounds good. At this rate, it'll be sundown by the time we get there." Ed commented with a harsh voice. He didn't want to be out in the open when the clouds finally decided to drop the condensing rain. But there was nothing to stop the surrounding people from keeping them from their destination.

So it didn't seem to him that there was a chance they _weren't_ going to be separated. With the amount of people, the chance of not getting separated was at a low percentage.

Just great.

Edward glanced around. The sky was was growing darker, and yet the people around him stayed on the streets. It didn't seem to bother them that they sky looked ready to dump a thousand gallons of rain on them.

"Al?"

That's when he noticed that he couldn't see the shining armor next to him.

Well, that was quick.

The worst part of it, was that Ed couldn't find the armor in the sea of bodies. Even after jumping to see through the crowd.

"Well, we're on our own, Sarah." Frankly, he was glad that she hadn't been pulled away and had stayed attached to his coat. "Lucidity Hotel... Right?"

The sky did not look promising.

"Brother, the sky doesn't look too good. Let's hurry."

Aarisa turned her head from the vendor she was paying for the leather gloves held in her hands. Her current ones were pretty trashed, but that came with her training. The younger Elric brother was turning his head back and forth.

"Brother?!"

"We lost him to the crowd about seven minutes ago. Sarah's with them." She called, replacing her practice gloves with her new gloves.

"So we've just been wondering around for seven minutes?!"

"I know this place like the back of my hand. I've been here way too many times to see the doc." She thanked the vendor and rejoined the armor. "They'll be fine if they keep heading north. You can't miss the hotel."

"Are you sure?"

"That he'll make it before the rain hits, no. Make there before night falls, yeah." She shrugged. "But I don't think you want your armor wet. Am I right?"

"No... I don't like getting wet." He admitted.

She grinned. "I wouldn't think so. Walking around in wet armor doesn't sound like a good time."

"It's not."

"Why are you in that armor all the time?"

"Alchemy training... For patience."

"Geez! I don't think I'd be able to keep that armor on all the time. I'd wanna take it off all the time." She added. "Glad my training isn't like that."

"Where did you learn alchemy?" Al followed her lead, as she expected.

She slowed and stopped. Aarisa clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and drew a breath. Then relaxed, and said, "Some one who left. But he's coming back."

"You're all by yourself right now?"

"A couple of years. I just train. If I get better, he'll come back."

"Who?"

Aarisa began her stride once again. The sky was darkening again and thunder rolled absently in the distance. Best be getting to the hotel soon. She didn't reply to the younger brother clad in a suit of metal armor.

Aarisa heard the heavy footsteps of the metal chasing after her through the crowded streets.

Ed had to fight the urge to bust someone's face at the sound of another person asking if he would buy a strip of cloth. It didn't help that three of them had tried to grab Sarah from him in attempt to sell to her.

"I bet Al and the giant girl are fairing better than this." He commented.

The frail girl remained quiet, her hand still clutched to his coat. She was still playing it safe around the Fullmetal Alchemist. Not that he could blame her. Her only refuge had wondered off with a large suit of armor, and were probably at or near the hotel by now.

It still didn't help that the sky was growing darker and darker with each passing moment.

The hand that clutched his coat tightened, balling more fabric into it. He didn't have to turn around to know why it did. Rain and the change in atmospheric pressure undoubtedly hurt against automail. He knew that all too well.

"Let me know if you start hurting." He murmured, not expecting a reply, and knowing he wouldn't.

They continued forward, heading north. Ed worked them through the lest populated area to avoid having Sarah bumped and possibly knocked over for a seventh time. The crowd had slightly dissipated, thankfully, but not enough to make that much of a difference. People and vendors still lined the streets, and just about the same still stared at them as they weaved through the crowd.

And to make it worse, the clouds gave up swelling with rain and had begun to drip it's contents.

Ed only stared forward, catching glimpses of falling drops. His feet slowed, and the hand gripping his coat fell. The rain didn't show signs of stopping anytime soon.

"...Humans..."

He turned, staring Sarah down with a half confused look on his face.

"Cannot gain something without sacrificing something in return."

Sarah lifted her head to look Ed directly in the eyes, her clouded ones sending a wicked shiver down his spine.

"To obtain, something of equal value must be lost..."

The rain fell harder around them, soaking their clothes.

For someone who feared alchemists, she knew plenty. And she was right, forcing Ed to give a half chuckle in realization. If he was going to get her to trust him, he had to trust her as well. Equal trust, something he could understand.

It was indeed the simple law of Equivalent Exchange.

Ed shrugged the shoulders of his coat off. The fabric wasn't soaked completely yet, still giving a varying degree of warmth, if the new shiver that ran down his back gave any explanation. He took a step toward the girl who tried to hide the spasming shivers, and dropped his coat over her shoulders. Yanking on the hood, he pulled it over her head. Without breaking movement, Ed leaned down and grabbed her automail hand with his right hand.

"I can barely see the sign... We gotta get outta this rain," He stated, pulling her along carefully, "Let's keep going."

"Hah! You guys got stuck in the rain!" Aarisa's voice was the first thing Ed heard when he entered the lobby to the hotel.

She was sitting comfortably dry in a large chair with a smirk plastered to her face.

"Me an' Al got here right before the rain got heavy." She admitted, motioning to the armor itself.

"Yeah, yeah, keep bragging."

"You need to get dry, Brother."

"We'll worry about that once we get a room and some dry beds."

"About that..." Aarisa cut in, absently wringing out Sarah's strands, letting the water drip to the floor. "There wasn't a room that had two beds, so we had to get two different rooms."

"But they're right next to each other!" Al added quickly.

"You guys sound like I'm going to be mad." He called out, pulling at the tie holding his braids together. "Why?"

"Because the colonel said you have to room with her." Al input, "I called him... To let him know we made it."

Ed paused and raised an eyebrow. He drew in a breath and exhaled. Behind him, Sarah shifted, her boots squeaking.

"Let's just get out of these wet clothes. They at least have showers, right?"

"Of course! This place is awesome!" Aarisa shouted, before holding out a key for the elder Elric brother. "Here."

Ed took the key in grasp.

Thunder rolled outside.

**O.o**

**Heya guys.**

**'Nother chapter and hopefully you guys like it. *shrug***

**Thanks for all the support.**

**Reviews are awesomely epic, but absolutely positively never required.**

**See ya soon.**

**o.O**


	12. Chapter 12

Aarisa hit the latch to the window, firmly closing it. "There, no water should get inside." She called.

Al only nodded, continuing to stand in the middle of the floor. He was used to sharing rooms with his brother, and perhaps even Winry on occasion, but never someone he didn't exactly know. Aarisa seemed like an okay person nonetheless, not showing any signs of being hostile. Plus, Sarah had trusted her enough to ask her to come with them, and if Sarah trusted her, there shouldn't be a reason not to.

But even so, Alphonse stood in the middle of the room.

"I'm glad we got food before the restaurants closed downstairs. Wonder if shorty and Sarah got something?" She rolled her shoulders before peeling off the knee-high rubber soled boots. "They both need to be eating something, I can practically see their bones."

Alphonse remained silent, his soul-less eyes roaming the small room. There wasn't even a couch, just a bed, washroom, and a nightstand. Aarisa held out her shoes and swiftly threw them to the side.

"Did your armor get wet?"

"Hm?"

"Your helmet's wet." She pointed to his head. "Shouldn't you get that fixed?"

His hand flew up to his helmet to feel the streams of water, whether or not he could actually feel the water. He always imagined that he could, but always knew he couldn't. It was a hope he had in his heart. "Oh! I'll get it! There's a towel in the bathroom, right?"

As he entered the even smaller room, he heard the bed creak as Aarisa jumped onto it. The mirror showed where the water was dripping down his sleek helmet. Ed had done a good job on fixing up his armor after the battle with Father and when he was pulled back into the armor. Of course, Ed wouldn't tell him exactly how he got his alchemy back, or where the man with golden eyes that eerily resembled their father's went.

The water left with ease, leaving no residue or streaks, thankfully.

He exited the room again, finding Aarisa balled up in the sheets from the bed.

"Oh... We can share the bed, unless you aren't going to take your armor off." She stated, poking her head out of the ball of sheets absently.

"Ah, well, I'll just sit on the floor, I'm used to it anyway." He waved his arms around.

"No."

"Huh?"

"Look, I don't really even know ya, but I am not going to doom you to sitting on the uncomfortable floor." Her face went blank.

"It's alright, I'll deal. It'll just be another training experience."

"Alphonse, right?" She sat up now, "Stop being so nice. You'll get killed out here doing that."

"But I don't want to be mean."

"Al! Just sit on the bed." Aarisa interjected, "I don't care if you sleep or not, but do not sit on the floor."

"But-"

"Look, you and I aren't exactly best friends, but I have a feeling we're gonna be traveling together for a while. So I need to get it in your head that you need to speak your mind when you have something to say."

"Um... Well..."

"Well?"

"I..." With that, Al stayed quiet and crossed the room to sit at the edge of the bed, feeling it sink under his weight.

There was an extended moment of silence as the last of the light peeking through the storm clouds vanished, proving night. Aarisa had fallen back into the flattened pillows and held the sheets up over herself. The lights, along with the electricity had clicked off at some point of a large lightning strike.

"Hey, Al..."

He turned to the source of the quiet voice.

"Do you think human transmutation is possible?"

"There's a cycle of life, and death is a part of it. Dead people stay dead, no matter what. No one should ever try to being back a person who has died." He turned back to face forward. "No one."

"Oh."

"Why?"

"... The person who taught me alchemy he... He wanted to know."

She was lying. He could tell from her voice. What was she lying about, and why? There shouldn't even be the thought of human transmutation floating in her mind. It was wrong.

"Sorry to have asked."

"You should get some sleep, Aarisa."

He was given no response. Aarisa didn't trust him enough and it bothered him, regardless of the fact they had know each other for only two days. Both of the girls had something happen to them to keep them from trusting anyone. But without getting the girls to trust them, neither Ed nor he would be able to get anything out of the hurt souls.

Hurt souls finding those who had finally decided to move forward, despite their hardships.

He let out a soft chuckle, hearing it echo in his suit.

There seemed to be a reason for the two girls to be led there. There also had to be a reason for the two to have come across them after the entire battle with Father and the homunculi. After they had broken down and finally moved on. After everything had finally ended.

After a rebound happened within two months. A rebound that technically couldn't have happened. If Ed didn't have a Gate to perform alchemy, there wouldn't be a way for a rebound to occur, or a place for his soul to get tied to and stick to the armor.

Unless it all was tied to the man with the golden eyes.

His soul and the armor.

Ed's alchemy.

Sarah and Aarisa?

Thunder rolled outside.

* * *

**O.o**

**Heya guys. Keep reading.**

**The same ol' stuff.**

**See ya real soon.**

**o.O**


	13. Chapter 13

Both of them stood in silence. Both were still soaking wet from the rain. She kept her head down, not caring to look at the state alchemist. She still wore his coat over her damp clothes, while the coat was as soaked as his clothes. She could tell how it dripped heavily onto the cold wood floor in rhythm. Drip, drip, drip, drippity, drip, drip, drip. And they kept just standing there.

Then there was a shuffling of clothing and then something hit the floor beside her. Shuffling her boot, she moved it, feeling the cloth brush against her leather boot. Cloth?

"Normally, I would be worried about taking my clothes off in front of a girl... But there's a different story now." The alchemist commented, "I don't think you're going to see anything."

She stayed quiet, her face grimming slightly, )of course, using blindness to his advantage.( But he was right, she wasn't going to.

"From what I saw, there was only one robe in the bathroom. How about you take a shower first and then take the robe?"

Hmph, he was trying to be nice. One person has to trust someone who will trust them back. But the same could be said for the her, she had to trust him if he was going to trust her.

"I'll get the water started, you'll have trouble, right?" She heard his bare foot and automail head to where she assumed the bathroom was. "Or would you like a bath?"

She still didn't respond. This alchemist gave off a sense. A different sense than any other alchemist had ever given off. She could feel no hate, no wanting to hurt, nothing evil. It was just like a person, an alchemist who's heart never wanted to wrong a person. A person who hadn't sold their soul to violence. Just like Aarisa, and just like then younger brother. None of them gave a sense of hate or violence, and felt safe.

Safe.

That was a word she hasn't used in several years. How long had it been? Six, seven, ten years?

The state alchemist, Edward Elric, stepped out of the washroom, the blasting sound of running water sounded. "I never got an answer, and thought a bath would be easier."

"Father..." The word escaped with a bitter and frightened edge.

The elder Elric brother stopped moving. The only noise she could hear was the roar of water.

"... You asked."

"Your father?" He stated quietly, "He did that to you?"

"Not... My father... We were used..." She gripped the coat, the cloth soaked with water, bringing out the smell of dirt and oil. "...Father."

"F... Father?"

"...Father... Scares me."

The state alchemist shifted, and the loud of sound of water echoed loudly, then went silent. She breathed heavily in order to prevent the threatening sobs. She would not cry in front of an alchemist. Show no emotion, and they can't hold it over you.

"Your leg, your eyesight, your arm..."

"My leg to stand on... To see a bright future... To hold me up... Father...he."

"Did he force you?"

She didn't respond. There wouldn't be a point in telling the alchemist, from the alchemists who had slipped through the alley, she knew Father had been killed and defeated. No one would change what had happened.

It was funny that of everything she remembered of that day, the word 'Father' stuck with her to this day.

"... You need to get out of those wet clothes... Come on." Cold, damp hands grabbed her shoulders and she allowed them to lead her until she was alone in the washroom.

It was only then, did her expressionless face fall.

And it reminded her, she was only human.

* * *

"Brother?"

Ed picked his head out from in between his knees. Al crossed the hallway between them and kneeled down beside him.

"What's wrong?"

"It was Father."

"... What?"

"The alchemist who hurt Sarah... Was Father."

"W...what?" Al stopped with his words.

"We weren't the only ones who were changed by him. We were not the only sacrifices."

Al remained quiet, obviously trying to get it through his head exactly what was being said.

"That thing had backups if we had actually died somewhere along the way."

Al nodded now, "What does that mean, now, Brother?"

Ed shook his head, there was no way he could possibly know.

* * *

"Whew! I don't know about you guys, but that was a good rest!" Aarisa called out to the three that dragged behind her. Ed was barely awake, his mind having kept him up once he'd actually gone back inside the room in attempts to sleep. Sarah fared no better, her boots not exactly buckled and feet scuffing the ground with each step. Then again, from what any of them had seen, Sarah was not a morning person to begin with. It had been around an hour since Aarisa had dragged everyone out of the hotel and back onto the road. She was just about the only one who wanted to do anything in the morning. Yet no one wanted to be traveling.

Thankfully, there weren't many people on the roads at this hour.

Perhaps that was why Aarisa wanted them out of the hotel that early in the Friggin morning. If so, that was a good call.

Ed leaned back and immediately felt the frail girl's hand grasped his now dry coat. She was at least starting to trust him enough to allow her to be led by him.

Ed led her carefully, avoid as much of the foot traffic as possible. She allowed every movement with ease.

Until she stopped in the middle of the road.

Ed was pulled back, the edge of his cost almost choking him, making him glad he hadn't closed it.

"What's wrong?"

"Duck." Sarah said simply, pulling him down with a tug.

"Wha-" The words fell from his lips before he was on the ground next to her as she knelt close to the dust covered, paved ground.

The crackling sound erupted over his head, narrowly missing Sarah's face, blowing silver strands around.

"Hey! You in the armor! Get the civilians outta here!" A voice shouted at the group. "I trust you guys are from the military in Central, right?"

"Ah... Yes, Sir." Al stated before nodding and scrambling around towards the rather large group of people.

"Ye-hah!" The voice called loudly.

Ed stood, pulling Sarah up with him. He turned to find then source of the voice. A man stood with his hand out, fingers prepped in attack. Swirling, crackling sounds erupted from his fingertips, dancing along with the sparks that flew around him. His face wore a smirk, holding firm against the striking wind. His hip long, pulled back strands were whipped around in the same wind. When Ed finally recognized the blue military uniform, he realized who he was looking at.

Andrew Styx, the Frozen Alchemist, state alchemist stationed in Ishval.

"Heh-heh-heh!" The state alchemist cried, "Let's get a real fight going on! The guy we're after is a violent resistor! In the red sash!"

Behind him, Ed heard Aarisa crack her knuckles in quick succession.

"I'm in."

* * *

**O.o**

**Heya guys. Told you I'd see ya real soon.**

**Thanks for all the supports.**

**Reviews are epically awesome (and it'd be nice if you left a little feedback, because I don't know if y'all like how this story is going…), but absolutely positively never required.**

**o.O**


	14. Chapter 14

Ed pulled Sarah closer to him and out of the way of the flying frost. The Frozen Alchemist was seemingly pulling the frost out of the air. Then that was right, the water vapor in the air, it was easy to pull it out of the air if you had proper training. But something inside Ed told him he hasn't had any training. Which made Ed give a mildly annoyed face.

The man was just having fun, not even coming close to killing the pursued. He was only toying with him. A blast of frozen matter close to the pursued's foot, another close to his other. These were followed by shouts of rights, and claims of peace.

"Little girlie, ya done with your transmutation circle yet?" The Frozen Alchemist called giving another wave of his hand and turning to Aarisa. "Because it's no fun when he keeps running."

"I'm going! Why don't you have to make the circles?!"

"Secret! So hurry up and trap him!"

"Hey, I wanted to fight him!" Aarisa shouted back, a frown forming on his face. "Why do you get to fight and I don't?"

"Because I am the adult and you are not."

"That's not fair!"

"If you two are going to fight... He will get away."

"Life ain't fair, kid!"

Ed turned on a heel to find Sarah kneeling to the ground, hands out in front of her, fingers splayed. It did not appear to be that she had spoken at all. It looked more like she had fallen from being hit. And the fragments of clotted dirt falling out of her hair just gave way to an answer.

But Ed let out a half gasp when the jolt of a transmutation swept through his hair, brushing against his face as it slithered through the air. There was a massive shout, and the group turned to find the pursued angrily beating his muddied fists against wrought iron bars.

The iron bars of a human sized bird cage.

"Let me out of here!" The man cried, the iron bars letting out a ringing cry. "Which one of you trapped me?!"

"Well, I wouldn't have chosen Iron if it was me." The state alchemist stated, hands brushing off his blue coat.

"I didn't even get to finish my circle!" Aarisa angrily shouted back.

"Well..." The state alchemist scratched his chin, inspecting the cage casually, "It looks like we have a mystery helper."

"Right, like I believe that. Just admit you did it!" Aarisa interjected.

"By the way, what's your three's names?"

"What's yours old man?"

"Do I really look that old?" The alchemist frowned then held up a strand of silver hair in from of his face, "Well, the hair (is) misleading."

"You gonna answer?"

"Oh, the name's Colonel Andrew Styx, the Frozen Alchemist. Nice to meet cha."

Well, Ed was right. This is was the alchemist they'd come to see. He'd be lying if he was going to say he didn't expect the guy to be a little... Out there. From reading the report over said Frozen alchemist, and hearing Mustang's story bout him, it was nothing unexpected.

"Your names?" Andrew asked.

"Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist." He called, offering a hand for Sarah to take, giving a slight grin when she took it. "Colonel Mustang sent me."

"Right! You were bringing my dearest little sweet daughter!" Andrew smiled widely, "But who are these two?"

"I'm Alphonse Elric! Ed's my older brother." The suit of armor that was his younger brother called, stepping uncomfortably through the crowd that was starting to group there. "Excuse me... Pardon me..." He murmured.

"And I'm Aarisa." She grinned and pointed at her self. "Nice to meet you!"

"And where is she? Where is my daughter?!"

"Calm down, Colonel Styx, she's right here." Ed couldn't help the half chuckle that escaped.

"Sarah? Sarah, sweetie? It's me... Daddy." Andrew called out, taking a few steps closer to where Sarah was standing. "Sweetie?..."

"You haven't changed a bit."

Ed only barely was able to make it out of the way with a sidestep before the Frozen Alchemist threw himself in their direction. Unfortunately, Sarah wasn't the least bit lucky, getting tackled and pulled to the ground. Andrew was saying something as he pulled Sarah against him and just held her there. It wasn't like Ed couldn't understand; he did. Having a family member missing for so long, it's was completely understandable to just want to hold them. It only reminded him of Al. Al's real body.

"I just got used to breathing... Please let go." Ed's head, along with Al and Aarisa, turned to the soft whisper erupting from the squished, small frame. "You're hurting my ribs..."

"Ack! Sorry, sweetie!" Promptly Andrew let go, picked Sarah up, and placed her gently on the ground beside Ed. "There you go."

There was a peaceful silence that echoed onto the surrounding area, save the shouting of the man still trapped in a cage on display, and the crowd that was jeering around it. That is, until Ed's stomach decided to play the song of wailing hunger, and growl angrily to inform the host. Ed's face dropped, along with everyone else's. Aarisa was the first to laugh, like usual, followed by Al chuckling along with her.

"Hey! I know this really good place down the street! We should go there, my treat! Come on!" Andrew grabbed Ed's arm with one hand, Aarisa's in the other, and begun to drag them in a direction. Ed was glad to have managed to grab a hold of Sarah's wrist before getting pulled too far away. "Come on! The later it is, the longer the wait. I'm in the mood for some good barbeque and some chicken. Although ramen sounds really good. Then we can get some ice cream after that. What do you think, Sweetie? Vanilla was your favorite, right? What s your guys' favorites?..."

Alphonse Elric was glad that Andrew Styx was willing to pay for the meal. With the way Ed ate, it would be interesting to see what the price after the meal. That, and it was getting time to check the balance of the state fund for research that still remained. If he remembered correctly, Mustang had seen to it that it was always just enough to get a meal and a place to sleep. They at least had that.

That being noted, the elder state alchemist was still speaking with the waiter, speaking too quickly for any of the younger to understand. "She needs some food! What would you think she'll like?"

"Nothing. I'm not hun-"

"Ignore her. She's hungry." Ed interrupted, with a wave of the hand.

"Should you be speaking for my little girl...?"

"She always says she's not hungry when she is."

"Aw, she still does that?" Andrew grinned. "She's done that for a while."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, how long has she been missing. The report didn't say how long for sure." He called, tilting his helmet to the side slightly.

"Hmmm... Couple of years... She was seven when it happened." Andrew put his fingers against his face, looking in aloof wonder, "Well, she'd be seventeen now, so at least ten years."

"The report only said four!" Ed burst into the conversation. "Where'd the missing six years go?"

"They had to end the investigation after four years of searching, and on the fourth year, claimed her dead." Andrew shrugged.

"You sound a little calm for just seeing a child you thought was dead." Aarisa placed her cup down.

"Whoever said I thought she was dead? I was only waiting for her to come home." Andrew smiled widely. "It took her a while, but I'm glad she's back."

Sarah only sat there, her arms crossed on the table. Her face held the same look of emotionless, nothing changing her expression. Al wondered how long she had had to keep that same stoic expression. Surely it hadn't been the full ten years since she had shown any emotion aside nothing. Surely she had smiled. Surely she had at least smiled.

Sarah shifted, and her eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes darted uselessly around, and she mumbled something. Al barely made out the word "them" before he looked up to find Andrew giving a seemingly absent shiver. He turned to glance at the door, watching two men enter the area. One of the men held the door open for the other, who entered with his hands behind his back. Four sword hilts rested on his hips, and his head was held with bravado. The other, the one still holding the door, held his head to the side in wonder.

"Did you guys just get in town?"

"Yeah," Ed nodded, flicking his straw in his mouth.

"So I guess you four haven't heard about the alchemist tournament? To honor state alchemists?" Andrew held out his hands for the plate of food, "Thank you."

"Tournament? In Ishval?" Aarisa took her own food. "When can we enter?!"

"As soon as possible! It's for the festival!"

"Festival?" He added.

"Well, the decorations aren't finished yet, and it's the first year we're doing this." Andrew picked up his knife, "I pressed for one, and it seems like they're enjoying it."

The men moved across the back of them, passing by rather closely. Al watched them shamble around the restaurant until they sat at the bar table and turned their backs to them.

Al was brought back to Andrew's conversation with an Ishvalan about the tournament. The elder was speaking so quickly that he wasn't able to fully understand the actual words that passed throughout the conversation.

"Who wants to join?" The elder state alchemist asked, turning back to the group.

"I'm definitely in! Sarah's joining too!" Aarisa called, beginning widely. "Don't let her say no!"

Ed gave a shrug, "Why not? Count me in."

"I'm fine with not joining. Thank you though." In all truth, he didn't want to have to deal with someone accidentally knocking his head off, or dealing with worrying about the blood seal. "It's better if I just watch."

"Okie dokie, three plus myself, Kenneth." Andrew stabbed the meat on his plate violently with the knife he had been twirling between his fingers. "I'll tell you the names later."

The Ishvalan smiled calmly, nodded, and turned away from the group.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why don't the Ishvalan people act violent towards you?" Al asked, his head tilting slightly.

Andrew Styx dropped his head, giving a low chuckle, before raising his head and giving a mad grin, "Because I never hurt them. I trusted them so they would trust me. No reason to flip the Law of Equivalent Exchange on it's head!"

"Trust for trust." Al heard Sarah murmur. Ed shifted beside her, his head falling.

"That... And people tend to trust alchemist who helped 'em during the Civil War."

"How did you help them?"

The elder alchemist shrugged, ripping off a chunk of meat with his teeth, "Bradley left me alone, so I did whatever I wanted. And I didn't want to kill anyone, so I just gathered as Ishvalan people as possible, and got them outta there. Took 'em to a refugee camp that could help them."

"Why did Bradley leave you alone?" Ed cut in.

Andrew's mad grin only got wider, "Reasons o' reasons. That man stayed at least outta alchemic range. If I were to guess... That guy was afraid!" There was a wicked laugh that erupted from the Frozen Alchemist. Another stab to the meat with his sharpened knife.

Al knew that if his body on the other side, if it was still watching at present, his face dropped. From what he could tell, the reports were right, this man still suffered from major PTSD. However, the effects are slightly different from what the report had stated.

"The tournaments start tomorrow. Would you guys like to see my library? I have some works over Alchehestry. I also have the translation notes from the artist." Another stab to the meat.

"I wanna see it!"

"Do you even known what Alchehestry even is?"

"Shut up, shorty! I'm going to learn."

Sarah yawned.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alphonse watched the two men stand, look at each other, and quickly exit the building.

**O.o**

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	15. Chapter 15

**Let us all take a moment to think about all the tragic events as of late, and be thankful for our safety. Please keep those affected in your thoughts.**

* * *

"I apologize for the mess, I don't get guests much so I'm not one for much cleaning."

Books. Books. Books. And more books. Everything in the study retained to some sort of alchemy. Several were scattered around and taped to the walls. Several transmutation circles were sketched on the walls and on the ceiling. The circles had obviously never been used, but they remained ready.

The eldest State Alchemist held out his hand to motion to the younger where the specific books in question rested. "Here, feel free to look through anything, and my notes are all on the shelf above that thing that's supposed to be a desk."

"Thank you," Ed called, rushing forward to the shelf, "very much, Colonel Styx."

"I have to deal with some remaining festival preparations, so I'll leave you too it." The elder alchemist waved his hand and exited the room. "Don't mess it up... Well, too much."

By the time the echoing sound of Colonel Styx's boots vanished, the two brothers had already snatched several books and journals from the shelves and sat down on the floor. All concentration was lost on them, theirs delving into the books.

"Arg! This is boring!" Aarisa tossed the book she'd been working through into Al's pile.

Neither brother gave an answer, and Sarah shifted odd her automail leg. She was sitting near the door, no books around her.

"How can you guys sit in silence for so long?" She cried, standing.

"...they can't hear you." She heard Sarah mumble. "They're studying, learning, lost in that world."

"Well that's boring."

"Don't take it for granted until you can't anymore. It makes you a fool." Sarah added.

"Like you would read anyway! You don't seem to much like am alchemist type."

"Yet you entered me into a tournament for alchemists."

"So you can show everyone!"

"Show everyone what exactly?"

"That you can use alchemy."

Sarah shifted again, "Alchemists scare me."

"Keep saying that," Aarisa crossed her arms, shifting in her spot, "And maybe I'll believe it eventually. Now get up."

"Hm?"

"You're not reading, I'm not going to be able to sit that long, and I'm bored already." She stated, "Or would you like to sit here in silence?"

And it reminded Sarah, she didn't like silence. It was so lonely. Seven years spent alone, avoiding any and all people. It always made her remember what she really feared.

Betrayal

A warning...

To the people, the good and the evil...

"Fine."

She knew Aarisa was grinning when her arm was grabbed and drug in the direction the of the door.

* * *

"Brother!"

Although words usual passed by him while he studied a study on transmutational gates, the utter desperation lining his younger brother's voice that carried into his ears pulled him from his solitary world of words and equations. He glanced up, his finger going to hold his place.

"What's wrong, Al?"

"In his notes... There's..."

"Al?"

"A formula for human transmutation."

"What?"

"There's several formulas-five of them, no! Six!" His brother stated roughly, holding out the notes, pages opened to the several pages they spanned.

Ed peered heavily at them, memorizing each of the patterns that went to each of the circles. Glancing up, he counted the drawn transmutation circles on the walls and ceiling. One over the door on the far wall. One on his left over the map of Ishval. A third to his right below the desk. A forth on the curtain over the window behind him. A fifth rested above the two of them, painted carefully in blood red paint.

"Five matches. Then where's the last one?" Ed took the notes, scanning them carefully. The recipe that had been written carefully into the notebook was almost identical to that of their own formula, with varying degrees of carbon and magnesium.

But his eyes widened when he saw an added ingredient scrawled hurriedly in the end, the area smeared with crimson life that had dried since past.

Philosopher's stone.

Ed threw GH e bound leather notebook down onto the desk. It was obvious that the elder State Alchemist had performed human transmutation. What had happened to the remains of the human he had created, Ed didn't exactly care to know.

However, what had happened to the sixth circle?

Then it hit him. The only room in the entire room that was even slightly messy.

"The last circle."

"What?" Al picked up another notebook.

"We're stand\ing on it. The books are covering it up. That rug doesn't belong here." Proving his point, he kneeled, puling away a group of books, revealing etched chalk lines worn into the concrete of the study. "The floor's concrete."

"I wonder what he lost."

Ed shook his head. He wanted to know, but he didn't want to confront the State alchemist. It was a touchy subject for anyone to talk about. Even if it was another state alchemist who had broken a cardinal alchemic rule. Even if he had a feeling Mustang knew they'd figure it out.

"Jeellloo?! Anyone here?" They recognized that voice of the elder state alchemist. "Or did everyone leave?"

Ed flicked his eyes to his younger brother, and, catching the meaning, Al immediately sat down and grabbed a bZook and opened it without a word. Ed himself sat down and grabbed the book he'd been previously reading.

"Oh, the two of you really enjoy reading. The house was so quiet." Andrew poked his head into the doorway. "Feel free to leave the room a mess, it won't bother me."

Ed gave no answer, keeping his eyes on the page, his mind reeling with various information. Sarah Styx, the broken girl who was missing two limbs and her eyesight was the daughter of State Alchemist Andrew Styx, who were both apparently victims of Father at some point when both he and Al were at least seven. At the same time, Andrew Styx was suffering from severe PTSD caused by the civil war in Ishval.

But what were the reasons to meet people? Had there not been a rebound, and had there not been the man to give him back his alchemy, Ed would not have met these people.

A war needed allies, right? Is this what Eli meant?

"Brother."

"Hm?"

"Colonel Styx asked you a question."

"Oh, sorry."

"I only asked where the girls ran off too." Said colonel shrugged.

Wait a minute... Where were the girls?

* * *

Sarah didn't know why the loud noise crowding her ears annoyed her, but it did. She couldn't hear herself think at all. Not that it mattered that really, she didn't have much to think about.

"Do you think there's going to be some good challengers at the tournament?"

"You think I care?"

"Well, aren't you sarcastic?" Aarisa still had a grip on her wrist, dragging her around, "Hey, question."

"Answer."

"Why aren't you afraid of me. I am an alchemist."

"Because I don't have reason... You don't feel... Angry."

"Feel?"

"The sense you give out." She slipped her free hand into her pants pocket.

"Right..." She heard Aarisa laugh, "Because that makes sense."

"Never promised it would." She mumbled back.

Aarisa dropped her hand and ran ahead. Sarah paused where she stood, listening to the other's boots hit the ground on after the other.

"Hey! Hurry up! This guy's selling clothes."

"I already have clothes."

"But they're not really you!"

"How are they not? They fit and dry real quick!" She muttered taking a step forward, knowingly dodging the group of children running past her.

"I mean, those military boots don't go."

"Good thing I don't really care..."

"These match your pants and belt. Why do you have a red belt?"

"It's red?"

"Good point, too much dark colors doesn't seem like you with your skin tone."

"What?"

"Let me take care of it."

"Do I have a choice?"

"How about these? No... Light shoes against those pants won't work..." Her voice trailed off. How she managed to continue to ramble on about shoes, Sarah would never know.

Sarah sighed to that as well, without a reply, she received an answer. Yet it didn't matter to her, for once. She frankly enjoyed the company of an alchemist not touched by violence.

Frankly, she didn't want to be alone.

That reminded her: she hated being alone.

But she couldn't trust anyone again.

Not after that.

* * *

**O.o**

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	16. Chapter 16

"Well now, isn't' this interesting?" Ed commented, shifting in his spot.

The sun gleamed over the crowd that had gathered. Rows upon rows of people, children. People, children to elderly men squished themselves into seats of the arena. The arena that had been constructed at the edge of the town, most likely by Colonel Styx. There was a wide enough area for the two alchemists, and more than enough room for all the people who had come to watch.

"Welcome all! This is the Alchemist Tournament! And I'm the completely useless announcer! I'll basically be telling you all information you already know! First off: We're not responsible for any injuries you may receive. That being said, if a competitor willingly attacks the crowd or another competitor who they are not facing, they will be pulled from the fight and disqualified. -Did I say that right? Yes? Good- And with that, will all those who entered please come forward?"

And they four stepped forward, followed by around sixteen others. Not many alchemist attendees, but being in Ishval, it didn't surprise him. Most alchemists tended to stay within their own area, and alchemy wasn't too popular in the Ishval regions. Of the sixteen, he recognized vaguely the two men, their faces appearing in the restaurant the day before. If they were here, then they were alchemists.

Ed smirked, he wondered how they fought, only one of them being armed with four swords at his hip.

"Our rules, competitors... You may not use alchemy that will hurt the crowd. You may not kill your opponent. You may give up at any time. Do we understand?"

The was a mild uproar from the crowd.

"Without further annoyance from me, will the first two competitors, Sarah Styx and Clair Emmerson? Will you two please come forward?" The announcer called, "All others, please take your leave."

Ed's smirk fell as he slowly, along with the fourteen others, exited the main field. Sarah, someone who feared alchemists and didn't fight, was in first round. He'd be lying to say he wasn't worried about the broken girl. Unfortunately, all he could do was sit back and pray she gave up the match.

But there was no reason for him to worry, he didn't particularly know this girl completely, their friendship-if you were able to call it that-was only trust.

But he still didn't want her to get hurt.

Sarah stared forward, she knew the opponent only wanted to win. She could also tell that the female opponent was very skilled. Her breathing was ragged, and she could feel the girl's boots scuffing.

"When ready, begin."

She heard the crowd start a murmur as the two of them stood and stared at each other. Well, Sarah stared in the other's general direction. Sarah heard Clair shift, lowering herself to the ground. There was a soft click as a piece of chalk touched the cement. A moment passed and the girl finished a circle, Sarah presumed.

"Um, I'm going to win." Clair called softly, no confidence lining her words.

Sarah said nothing and jammed her hands into her pockets. The girl was serious on fighting, but Sarah knew she wasn't going to have to fight back to win.

The faint static that traveled in the air blasted around her, and she could feel the tips of her fingers tingle. the transmutation had been activated. There would only be a moment before she would need to move out of the way. Don't move until the last possible moment, and let the transmutation give the signal. The ground gave a low, gutteral rumble, and the girl gave a chuckle.

Blocking her blank eyes, Sarah crouched and twisted out to the right in a smooth, simple movement, the extending ground brushing past the right side of her face. She noticed the next movement immediately. Another twist, and she was sent backwards, using the momentum of the extending ground to propel herself further back. Clair Emmerson did not know how to fight. Using the same move repeatedly would easily give it away to any half-brained alchemist. To no offense.

Sarah stood, her new leather boots scuffing at the dusty ground. The girl was using another circle to change up the composition of the ground, but the way she was attempting to change it, it wouldn't get there.

The ground, comprised of various degrees decayed animals and dirt, wasn't very compact. Sarah shifted her feet again, a smile threatening to rise.

The girl leaned down to another circle, giving a small chuckle to herself.

A chuckle that silenced itself when nothing happened. The crowd's murmuring grew louder. They were starting to get excited. She let the slight smirk slip past, and stood straight to face Clair.

"You need to learn more basic alchemy before you try to take on opponents." Sarah called out, hearing the crowd's murmur break into calls and yells, "Otherwise... Interesting match."

"You... You didn't even fight!"

"Actually... You just never saw my circle."

"What alchemist doesn't need a circle?!"

"Never said I didn't need one... I only said you didn't see it."

"Then where is it!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She sighed.

Clair whimpered.

"I'm not going to fight you."

There was a shifting, and the crowd's yells grew louder.

"But I will suggest you forfeit."

Sarah heard a shuffling, and then the crowd's loud shouting quickly became screams and jeers combined. Most of the shouts were in confusion, and some in annoyance that no fight had indeed taken place.

"As you can see, audience, our winner of the first round, without even lifting a finger towards her opponent... Sarah Styx!"

"How... The... Hell?!" Ed shouted over the crowd, waving his arms in confusion. "She didn't even move! I mean, aside dodging! What the heck, man?!"

"Brother, calm down!"

"Don't judge a book by it's cover, shorty." Aarisa called from behind them.

When Ed turned around to look at the newest girl and the eldest state alchemist, they were only both smirking, looking forward and ignoring the brothers.

_ Whoever said she was the victim, Otōto-kun?_

"I still don't understand what just happened!"

"Please just get over it, Brother!"

"But it doesn't make sense! All she did was dodge and then the other girl gave up!"

"She maybe said something?"

"No, she just said to give up..." Andrew dropped in, "However, I did feel a transmutation that wasn't from Ms. Emmerson." He grinned, then it dropped, "It was performed by the same person who trapped the guy I was chasing earlier."

"It was Sarah."

The three males turned to look at the newest member of the group. She was walking along the tops of the staggered fences around the side of the arena, arms occasionally moving to catch her balance.

"I told you guys. She can fight. She's not really afraid of alchemists, she is one."

Ed crossed his arms, "You expect me to believe that she's putting up a front to hide the fact she's an alchemist?"

Aarisa shrugged, "It's not like I'm saying she has blue skin. I've met a few people like that before. They hide what they're truly afraid of." Aarisa smirked, "Or is it that you don't want to believe she's an alchemist? Is that it, Shorty?"

"There's no way she could be an alchemist! She's too-" He paused in realization. If Sarah had been forced to open the gate with Father's than she was, or at least had been, an alchemist, whether or not she hid it now. Getting sent through the portal of truth isn't something you quickly forget about. This gigantic girl just might have figured something out.

"Then again, I may have put my trust in a thick-headed little kid."

"Shut up!"

"What bothers me, is that we didn't see a circle." Alphonse added, stopping Ed's rant.

"You and me both, Alphonse." Andrew grinned, "But I'm sure that I felt one. It was a distinct signature."

"Signature?" Aarisa turned.

"Every alchemist has a signature that sticks to their transmutations. The signatures themselves are weak and usually undetectable, but a sharp alchemic sense, and you can easily tell what's happening with your eyes closed." To extend his point, the eldest state alchemist immediately closed his eyes, waving his arms around happily. "Like right now, the transmutation's effect are wearing off, and I can't feel the signature anymore."

Ed dropped out of the conversation, replaying the fight again in his head. Sarah had allowed the opponent-Clair, right?-to finish her transmutation circle without a word. She then let Clair activate the circle, and only dodged the attack. Sarah had dodged twice, then had spoken with Clair, and Clair gave up. Sarah had made no transmutation circle, she had no time to.

"...You shouldn't stare into space."

Ed was immediately pulled from his thoughts. Looking up, he found the broken girl standing next to him, a hand running across her shoulder's automail attachment. Her face, although still tinted with the fear he knew was there, had grown further blank.

"How did you do it?"

Sarah remained quiet, which wasn't surprising the least bit, considering she never really spoke. She kept her head down, her eyes hidden behind her silver strands.

"...Aluminum...Carbon, Helium, Manganese, Yttrium..." Her voice was soft. He watched her hand go to rub her shoulder attachment.

"What?"

Sarah said nothing more, only went to the arena's seats where the others remained, and sat down. There wasn't anything else that was said or mentioned. Five elements. Al, C, He, Mn, Y. Knowing the elements and the chemical makeup of any given thing was the basics of alchemy. An average person wouldn't have so easily known specific elements.

Then again, she wasn't average.

"Will the next two competitors please enter the ring?" The announcer managed to shout over the crowd. "Edward Elric and... James Emmerson?"

Ed didn't move just yet, instead he remained watching the broken girl shift around until she found something comfortable. She held her shoulder, and sat leaning off her automail leg. He looked up catching the sun held high in the sky, even if there was a chill in the air.

"Hold this for me."

With that, he promptly jerked his coat off his shoulders, plopping it into her lap. She said nothing, and he came to no surprise, considering he didn't expect her to respond. Jumping from the simple railing, Ed stood on the opposing side of the fence.

A man waited for him beside the annoying announcer. He was dressed similarly to the Emmerson girl, and gave reason to believe the two were related. He wore a smirk that grew larger at the sight of Ed. He was around seven inches, offhand counting, taller than Ed. Ed allowed a frown, he looked like a little kid compared to him. Oh good, another tall guy.

"Are you two ready?" The announcer cut into the harsh tension in the air.

Two nods were received.

"Then... You begin!"

And the announcer was already was gone, running almost comically out of the arena.

"So how do you fight?" Ed called, spreading his feet in stability.

"With alchemy, of course!" A smirk rose on his face, and his hands rose in flourish.

Ed raised an eyebrow, "Really? I didn't expect alchemy at an alchemist tournament."

"Oh, a funny one, huh?" James Emmerson chuckled, the smirk still on his face. "Let's still see you joke when you're on the ground."

"Don't get so cocky!" With that, he brought his hands together, already planning his next move. He wanted to see how the guy fought, but he was more worried about figuring out how Emmerson performed alchemy. From what Ed could tell, Emmerson carried no chalk, as opposed to his sister.

"Speak for yourself!"

"You talk too much!"

"Then... How about I let my army speak for me?"

Army? Ed whirled around as the faint static of a transmutation scattered throughout the arena. The scene opened in front of his as several forming areas around the arena rose. Each of the areas formed into shapes.

Human-like shapes.

Each of them formed into the same shape, a hapless, faceless human made of dirt and stone.

It wasn't until the closest ones moved, did Ed let out a confused gasp. Moving dirt and stone men was an interesting concept. Although, after fighting the homunculi and the doll soldiers, this would probably be nothing to handle, considering these clay dolls were made out of materials and made to die.

"Let's see you take on my army!"

Without a word, Ed did so, slapping the ground quickly and raising up a sharp edged scythe. With a single swing he lobbed the heads clean off the immediate soldiers. He swung again, losing the blade inside a fallen doll. Ed grumbled aimless words, and allowed his hands to clap once again, bringing his arm against one of the soldiers, feeling a grin twitch on his face when the material broke down. He wasn't even breathing hard when the final soldier fell.

"Alright, you managed those, how about the backup?"

"How about you actually fight me instead of these rank less soldiers?" He broke in, already in a full sprint towards Emmerson.

Emmerson moved his hand over the opposing arm's forearm, the light of a circle catching in Ed's sight. There it was. Emerson had circles painted on his arms, therefore he didn't need to use chalk to actively draw them. Smart thinking for a non state alchemist.

But that was regarded as useless as Ed closed the distance between them, bringing his hands together and colliding them against the few soldiers that had risen since. Emmerson gave a noise of annoyance mixed with fear as Ed closed the gap. But the noise gave way to a taunting smirk within a single second.

Ed barely noticed the presence of the arms that wrapped eagerly around him.

"Thank you, 'rank less' soldier, hold him on the ground." Emmerson called, taking a step closer to him.

There were several hands that held him now.

"Enough pressure on his throat should knock him out." Emmerson gave a chuckle, and his hands moved to wrap around Ed's neck.

Slowly, the pressure rose, straining against Ed's windpipe. Suffocation, he knew, was one of the worst ways a human could die. Saliva, waste, sweat, and other bodily fluids were always excreted from the body.

There were people shouting at him, he recognized their voices calling his name. But they were only shouts echoing in his mind as his vision begun to become overwhelmed with black.

He didn't want to lose. He wasn't going to lose to a first-rate alchemist.

The fingers grew tighter.

**o.O**

**Heya guys. Tried to make this chapter longer, don't know how far I got with that…**

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	17. Chapter 17

It was obvious that he need to do something. If he didn't he was going to pass out and Emmerson would win. If Sarah, the most broken person he'd ever met, had won, then so could he.

But first things first, he needed to get the offending hands off his throat.

Ed could feel the rank less soldier's hand still on his arms, his arms twisted downward. But his hands faced the ground in painful realization.

The crowd's excitement had risen, their voices overcoming the pounding in his ears as blood vessels' pressure built. Ed felt a line of saliva drip from the right corner of his lips. He was running out of time.

"Should only be a little while longer. Announcer, it's almost over for him," Emmerson commented softly.

"Like... Hell... It is!"

When his hand connected with the ground, the flash of light broke through his blackening vision. The raw static of a transmutation struck through the air, heading straight for any opposing figure. The soldiers holding him down were the first to go, dissolving back into clay, dirt, and water. Emmerson's offending hands were the second things to vanish from around him.

Ed drew in a large breath, rolling away from the area to shakily stand up. His lungs pounded against his rib cage. Suffocation, he concluded, would be a horrible way to die. But the transmutation that had been activated, had not been performed by him. Granted it had been performed by his body, Ed knew he hadn't made the transmutation happen. Ed's eyes narrowed for a second before realization. If he had control over someone else's gate, in theory, the owner probably still had a limited amount of control.

_ I have no intention of letting you fall here. You have harder fights to come._

There was a scream of joy from the crowd as Ed brought his hands together, determination set on his face. Emmerson had gone a little too far, leaving bruises that he could easily feel in his neck. And if all the elder Emmerson could do was make little clay dolls that lined up like soldiers, then he would be able to take him down easily.

A wrought iron blade rose from the ground underneath his hands, and he gripped it with angered strength.

"Maybe... Next time..." Ed called, swinging the blunt edge of the blade into Emmerson's chest, pushing him back. "I'll actually try."

"Here we go, an actual fight!" Emmerson responded, grinning madly.

"No... Just a win."

Ed brought the sword down, blunt end connecting with his opponent's head. Emmerson crumpled to the ground.

"The winner of the second of the first rounds, Edward Elric!" The announcer was next to him now, shouting over the heated crowd.

Ed allowed a smile, that grew wider when he caught sight of a group of people nearing him. Two were medical officers who immediately began to painfully prod at his throat, and the other was Colonel Styx who was wearing a matching grin.

"Good job, Ed!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hurry up, and get back over there! Ms. Aarisa is up next. The crowd'll keep yelling if you don't hurry." He called at Ed. "Let's get this on with!" He told the announcer.

"Right! The next opponents! Aarisa... And, um... Could we get names?!"

Ed walked away from the arena, passing the grinning girl who cracked her knuckles. Ed could feel the grin from Aarisa just radiating. She was excited. She was ready to fight, even if she was still a rather new and unskilled alchemist.

Ed let his hands travel upwards to brush against the bruised skin on his throat. Without needing to look at them, he knew they were bright in color. They hurt, but he's be alright.

"Brother!" Al was waiting, standing beside a lounging Sarah. "What was that?"

"Just... Learned a few tricks from Eli, before he... Left."

"Is your neck okay?" Al's voice was turning slightly panicked, "It's purple!"

"I'll be fine, Al, it's just a bruise. Watch the match."

"They don't look good."

"They're fine."

And that was exactly how Edward Elric found himself dragging a blind girl through the streets looking for someone to tell him that his bruises would be fine.

"Aluminum, Carbon, Helium, Manganese, Yttrium." Sarah's voice echoed into his ears.

"Al, C, He, Mn, Y, right?" He called back absently, there wasn't anyone this way. "What about them?"

"An alchemist seeks out the truth... Right?" His coat she was wearing shifted under his hand.

"The basis of all alchemy is understanding and memorizing the elements."

"And?"

"... And? And what?"

"The other basics of alchemy."

With no reply, Sarah stopped, her silvery hair covering her eyes in habit.

"If there is a push in the earth, there is a pull somewhere else. If there is a death, there is a life. A continuous cycle of death to life, high to low, solid to liquid, hope to despair..."

"The circle..." He turned, realization creeping up in his mind. The back of his mind burning through information, ending up at a similar conclusion.

Sarah still used alchemy.

* * *

**O.o**

**Heya, sorry it's been more than a week since last update. I ended up having a lot to deal with on my plate (Then a ton of school work) and basically ended up breaking down. (Don't worry, it actually didn't have anything to do with my stories.)**

**But I'm back.**

**It's probably really short, and I apologize.**

**I'd like a review to let me know how I'm doing, but don't leave one if you don't want to, it's absolutely positively never required.**

**Thanks to all the supports.**

**See ya soon.**

**o.O**


	18. Chapter 18

Aarisa breathed, carefully watching the crowds disperse, leaving behind a single man and the announcer. He stared back at her with his strangely hued eyes, bright crimson. His face remained covered after the eyes, a lengthy bit of cloth wrapped around it.

"Are the competitors ready?" The announcer called.

The man nodded, followed by Aarisa's smirk and nod.

"Then begin when ready!" And he was gone.

"Bring it!" Aarisa shouted, a smirk rising and falling on her face.

And the match began without another word. The man ran forward, closing the distance between them without another word. Aarisa crouched, bringing her hand against her pouch. The pouch containing her chalk and marking material for her circles. Slipping a hand inside, she pulled free a length of new chalk. The match had just begun, and yet a sense of tension could be felt throughout the area. A mysterious pull of electricity strangled the air, and without another word, the man fell to the ground. A smirk rose on Aarisa's face.

A smirk that vanished when the man picked up a hand and slammed it on the ground, the markings of a circle expanding from his hand quickly.

"Whoa!" She shouted, jumping from the transmutation, skidding on the loose ground.

Aarisa held out her hands until her chalk was on the ground, scrapping out lettering onto the ground.

"Dang, you're pretty good."

She brought her hands against the now drawn circle, a smirk pulling on her face.

Electricity filled the air, electrons bouncing between atoms and speeding up rapidly. There was a bright light that surrounded the man.

Yet no emotion appeared on his face.

"This is my master's alchemy!" Aarisa shouted, "No one can avoid it!"

The crowd's excitement grew.

"Rapidly moving particles and a spark from energy... That's all."

Aarisa's smirk grew brightly.

And dropped once more with a single pressure against her shoulder.

"Don't forget: the will for the attack."

§

"You still use alchemy, don't you?"

"I never claimed I didn't." Sarah took a step forward, rubbing her shoulder attachment once more. "I'm just afraid of alchemists."

"If you were actually afraid of them, wouldn't you be afraid of yourself?"

The broken girl gave no answer. Ed scoffed.

"You said trust was just another example of Equivalent Exchange, but I can't trust you unless you trust me."

"Killing... And hurting... They..."

"They're what really scares you, aren't they?"

Sarah gave no answer, but she didn't need too, the silence gave enough of an answer for him to take.

"Not every alchemist kills." He called, reaching behind him and opening his automail hand for her to take.

She said nothing, but took his hand after a moment of hesitation.

She trusted him at least that much.

"Let's head back, the crowd's pretty riled up." Ed gave a smile and began to head back to arena.

Even if no one actually looked at the bruises on his neck.

§

"You... You're!..."

"I resign. I saw what I came to see."

The man's hand rose, smoke swirling around his gloved hand piercing through the absent sparks that blasted through the air. The crowd's sound died to a murmur, waiting for the smoke to dissipate enough for them to see.

§

Ed watched his younger brother stand as he got closer to them. A cloud of smoke covered the arena, making it impossible to see.

"Brother!" Al called when he got closer, "What did they say?"

"It's fine. What's happening in there?"

"I'm not sure. There was a large electric transmutation and then all the smoke came."

"Electric?"

"There's still sparks happening as well."

"No one is performing a transmutation, it's just the after effects from the dust." Andrew broke in, standing on the railing above them. "They're both just standing there. One of 'em's got their hand raised, but I can't tell in the dust."

"Sarah, can you tell?" Al asked, earning a glare from Ed, "What? I just thought maybe she'd be able to tell with her eyes... And all."

"That doesn't mean she's just going to-"

"There's too much electric signal for me to tell her preside location, or if she's hurt." The broken girl called.

"Huh?"

"I'm not fond of people who use electrons with alchemy, as it breaks up the natural flow of energy without actually changing an element." Andrew put in, "But for a girl of her age, she's definitely an alchemist genius. Buuuut, she's gonna need some work."

"She can't control it." Sarah nodded, then coughed dryly. "The smoke is clearing. Then you will see who has won."

Ed nodded, before remembering that she wouldn't be able to see it.

Just a few more seconds.

"One more second." Sarah called softly, waiting a single moment before pointing at the arena.

Ed's eyes followed the shining plated arm, until he was looking at two of the contestants. The man, who stood an entire foot taller than Aarisa, had his hand raised, standing casually with his other hand on her right shoulder. Ed heard the announcer stammer for a moment before finally speaking.

"Um... The winner of the third fight: Aarisa!"

The crowd let out cry of excitement, holding hands up in happiness. One good fight after another, and one more after that almost promised with the state alchemist in the area.

Ed turned to glance at said state alchemist, only to find that he had already jumped the fencing and disappeared into the arena. Had anyone else noticed that the air had chilled substantially, the temperature dropping several degrees? Al wouldn't for sure, considering he couldn't feel, but what about the two girls? Aarisa jumped up and over the fence, her boots catching easily on the railing. Her downcast face morphing quickly into a wide grin.

"Didja see that, shorty?"

"Who are you calling short?!"

"Who said I was talking to you, pipsqueak?"

"Don't call me 'pipsqueak'!"

"Stop yelling!" Sarah interrupted, holding up her hands. "I can't hear that annoying announcer!"

"You actually want to hear that guy?" Ed scoffed.

"I can't see... And I would like to know what's going on!"

"Brother..." Al called, "You're making a scene."

Ed sighed and sat down, earning a smirk from Aarisa. A smirk to which he growled at. He had grown taller already, but that didn't seem to matter much around the gigantically tall girl.

"Why does my father have to make it so cold?" He heard Sarah mumble, before she pressed her hand against her automail attachments.

"Want my coat?" So she did notice.

"You're going to throw it on me anyway, aren't you?" She turned her head to the left, gazing half-way at him through tangled strands.

Without another word, Ed leaned forward and shrugged his coat off, throwing the crimson cloth onto the broken girl. She was still the same broken girl, although now she seemed more... Open? She actually responded, albeit rather sarcastically. Ed almost chuckled, she'd kept quiet beforehand because she didn't hold any trust in him.

That, and her ribs if he remembered correctly.

Ed's train of thought halted abruptly as the announcer opened his mouth to speak, and the crowd's shouting died down.

"The next two alchemists in the tournament have to follow those rather interesting fights! The next two are Hayette Print and Andrew Styx, or as he's known better as the Frozen Alchemist!"

A loud cheering from that statement alone. So he was known around Ishval for actually being an alchemist. Ed would be lying if he said he wasn't the slight bit interested it seeing how the Frozen Alchemist fought.

"Where... Did those two go?" Sarah mumbled, shifting underneath the crimson coat. "They were just here."

"Who?"

"No one. Just a few faces I recognize." She turned her head back to the arena.

Recognize? She can't use her eyes. Was she using the 'signature' that Colonel Styx was speaking about?

Ed smirked.

A war needed allies. But if they were interesting people, was an entirely different matter.

**o.O**

**Heya guys, been a little more than a week, and I apologize. Swamped with school work that should go away soon.**

**But here's a chapter.**

**But…. It's short.**

**Reviews would be nice…**

**Then again I can't force you.**

**Meh**

**Distractions.**

**See ya soon.**

**O.o**


	19. Chapter 19

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"Augh! This is boring! I don't want to wait anymore!"

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Just a guy with a name!"

"You're irritating!"

"Thanks! Years of practicing!"

"Augh! Just shut up!"

The opponent let a hand fly, opening it up to slam into Andrew's face. There was sudden cracking sound as the frost shattered around them. The opponent grunted skidding back, holding a bruising hand.

"What the hell?"

The state alchemist said not a word, watching only silently from behind pale blue eyes and hanging silver strands. The opponent made a sound, pulling a piece of broken chalk from his pockets. Within the next moment, the chalk was brought to the ground and the circle drawn. The opponent made to smirk a second before slamming his hands on the ground and backing away.

The ground opened up beneath the state alchemist, the intended ground slipping outwards. The state alchemist only let out a small chuckle and only showed a smirk before slipping past the opponent's sight. A faint crackling filled the air, followed by a surge of cool, blasted air.

The opponent raised his arms, blocking the chilled air from biting his face more than it already was. Noises left the opponent's mouth at the sight of the state alchemist idly walking up a set of stairs formed it tightened ice, finding way out of the pit. The black military issue boots hit the ground beside the opponent.

Seven steps, the opponent backwards, the state alchemist forward. Then, and only then, did the opponent smirk.

"Say bye-bye."

The state alchemist only turned to look at the ground, noting the circle he stood in the center of. It was crudely made, just markings in the dust with nothing more than perhaps a stick. Keeping in unnerving silence, the state alchemist brought his hands up, slamming them together to have an echoing clap resound.

A flash.

A scream.

Then silence.

"I haven't touched you, shut up."

The opponent let out a strangled breath. The state alchemist chuckled, dropping his hand from where it had rested a few centimeters from the other's face.

"You threaten to blow up the arena, thereby breaking one of the rules."

The other let out a strangled scream at the sight of growing ice over his hands.

"Which also means you threatened the peace of Ishval that I worked very, very hard to put together and keep."

The ice didn't stop with covering just his hands.

"But you also threatened the crowd here. That's enough to send me over the edge. The teeny tiny edge I'm already teetering on."

The ice grew until it closed over the other's mouth.

"Oh, don't worry, the ice will only make you really cold until you can't move. You'll still be alive and thawing you out will hurt like hell. My policy is to never kill anyone, just ask the folks in Central. Why do you think they out me in Ishval? To throw tea parties?"

There were muffled sounds erupting from the ice.

"Night... Night."

The state alchemist turned around, scoffing.

"Get him out of my arena. I'm done here..." Andrew turned, "And I need to go sit down before I get frostbite."

§

Edward Elric watched in awe silence beside Alphonse and Aarisa. This man, this state alchemist never made a circle, as was expected. He even knew that the state alchemist was going to bring his hands together to perform the alchemy he did. But this... There was something different. It definitely had something to do with the alchemy specifically.

Both he and Al had run into an alchemist who had used ice alchemy before, that time being a first and leading to him studying extensively over the topic in hopes of finally understanding it. From what he remembered, an alchemist would need to understand exactly how water and other fluids worked under different temperatures.

But that wasn't what bothered him. Each of the several transmutations that the man had performed felt different than they should have. They almost felt like...

Transmutations performed by homunculi.

Almost like he didn't need to clap to perform his alchemy.

"Yikes! This is cold!" Andrew shouted, shimmying down beside his daughter, who was quietly curling up within his coat.

"You're the Frost Alchemist... _Frost_." Sarah called, frowning.

"Shut up! I know... You don't gotta say it like that. Besides, who said I couldn't find ice cold?" Andrew crossed his arms for a single moment before frowning and bringing them down. "Tch... They hurt."

"Are they frozen?"

"Probably."

Ed, along with Al and Aarisa, watched the elder state alchemist lean down and pull off his military boots. Ed let out a slightly strangled gasp at the sight. The metal components of matching automail stared back at him. As the colonel begun to roll up his pant legs, more and more of the automail begun to show.

"Yep, they froze over." The colonel tapped the sheet of ice circling the attachment, "No wonder I couldn't walk properly."

Ed watched the ice start to fall off the matching attachments at his knees. He was missing both legs below the knees. Had he lost that performing human transmutation? There wasn't anything on the record that said that he didn't have them, although he and Al weren't given permission to view the military files hidden away.

"Saaaaaarrrrraaaaaahhhhhhh! Can you-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"But Roy's not here!"

"Do it yourself."

"I... I don't know how without steaming the wires." Andrew frowned, on the verge of tears.

Static overtook the air, swarming the colonel's legs. The ice itself shattered, melting swiftly down the metal. The elder state alchemist giggled madly, personally creeping Ed out.

Sarah shifted again underneath the coat.

Why were these allies so strange?

The broken girl.

And the state alchemist with PTSD.

Not to mention the random girl following them around now.

He really wished Eli would tell him what was going on.

This was irritating.

**o.O**

**Sorry for the short chapter both this time and the last. Hence the extra update this week. I really do apologize, because it's hard to write big chapters.**

**Aside that, thank for the supports.**

**Shout out to ****_Hopeless Alchemist_**** for reviewing.**

**Reviews would be nice, but aren't required.**

**O.o**


	20. Chapter 20

Blood was everywhere.

It dripped from the walls, it covered the floor, it stuck to the ceiling in murderous splattering. The boy in the middle of the circle was lying face down and wasn't moving. Daddy was being held back by a guy in an eye patch. Daddy didn't look happy, and the boy didn't look okay. Black spots were going over her vision and speckling over all the colors.

"Oh, she seems to have lost something on the inside."

"She's not coughing up blood, Father." The woman with the long hair said, tapping her with her foot. "Do we need to try it again?"

"It won't hurt us, and I cannot be sure it's working." The man with the pretty golden hair was saying. She recognized his mean sounding voice. Something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong. First she was sent into that weird place, and when she came back, there was red everywhere. She didn't like it there.

"Hm? The portal is opening itself?" The man said again.

Portal? That was a bad thing from Daddy's books. The books she was isn't supposed to read, so she wasn't going to say anything about them. She couldn't see anything anymore, BT she knew.

She knew she was back in that weird place.

"Oh, you're back?" The voices echoed, "You don't waste any time, you ignorant child."

"I want to go home..." She called sadly. She wanted to go home with Daddy and not see all the bad people anymore. "Do you know how to get me home?"

"So you didn't open the portal?"

"Portals are bad. Daddy's book said so."

"You're a smart child. I'll give you back your sight so you can see what is worth your tolls."

"I just wanna go home..."

"Ignorant child..." She could hear a grin the voices. "Eyes to see the future, a leg to walk off the pain..."

§

Sarah jolted upwards, her hands going to hold her head, covering her unseeing eyes. The metal outer sheets of the automail stung with a cold bite, piercing her burning skin. Her silver stands were far more tangled than usual and hanging evermore in her face. Her chest heaved in hopes of gaining more air, straining against the metal plates that rested there.

"...Are you okay?"

Her head jolted to the side at the sound of the voice. She took a moment to convince herself that the single voice was not the countless voices that haunted her memories. She calmed her breathing, taking a quick listen of her surroundings.

Sarah could tell she was in a building, a room to be specific. She was back in the bed she had been pulled from since the morning. She didn't remember falling asleep.

"...Sarah?"

That was the State Alchemist who she was forced to go with. He was standing on the other side of the room, turned to leave, aside the foot he just shifted.

"You have a nightmare?"

She finally responded, only giving a half nod.

"Want to share?"

A shake of the head. She swallowed, her throat dry from silent screaming. She shifted her head back forward, and pulled her automail knee up, grasping it with both arms and pulling it close. Why did she have to remember? It was the worse night of her life, and it still haunted her. Sarah knew she was shaking now, her automail rattled against each other.

A warm hand touched her real shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

She nodded, not even willing to try to lie anymore.

"Sarah... Even if you don't think you'll be able to trust another alchemist... Even if you don't think you'll be able to trust anyone ever again..." Edward Elric paused, "Just know... Me and Al, and even Gigantor are all here for you. One broken person to another, right?"

She heard him shift, and his hand left her shoulder. His boots echoed against the hardwood towards the door.

Father, those voices, those people...

"Alchemy... Scares me..."

And she was done holding back her emotions. She didn't even care if there was a State Alchemist in the room. If he did anything, she would just _make_ him regret it.

Sarah Styx lowered her head, and wept.

§

The floorboards creaked with his weight. He flicked the lights off as he passed the empty rooms. A pleasant amount of frost roses settled on the walls, trailing behind him as he strode forward. Andrew turned, giving the hallways a last sweep before slipping inside his destination. Thankfully, the children, aside the armor, had taken to bed. He grinned, of course he knew the armor was empty.

Andrew settled down and pulled the receiver from the phone, quickly pressing his finger into the rotary and dialing quickly.

"Central? Yes, this is Colonel Andrew Styx. I'd like to speak with Roy Mustang... My verification code? 7368FIP86... Yes it's weird... Thank you."

He waited several minutes in silence before he heard a grouchy, "Do you know what time it is?"

"Rooooyyyy..."

"No."

"... Let's talk about those Homunculi."

**O.o**

**Heya guys, here's another chapter, and sorry it's up late. Surprise for when you wake up, I guess!**

**Shout out to: **

**_Hopeless Alchemist_**

**_Dreamer372_**

**For the reviews last chapter. It's good to hear you like the story.**

**Sorry it's short too…**

**Thanks for all the supports.**

**Reviews would be nice, but aren't required nor expected.**

**See ya soon.**

**o.O**


	21. Chapter 21

There was noise flooding her ears.

Men.

Women.

Girls.

Boys.

Homunculi.

Drilling.

Metal against metal.

Pain filled cries coming from the makeshift hospital.

Wait.

She turned her head, following the footsteps of who was apparently supposed to be her opponent. They were heavy, yet light on the balls. He was skilled, no matter what he would show.

But the only thing that bothered her about him was that the angry alchemy she could feel dwelling inside him, wasn't normal. There was more than one.

It sounded like a sea of tormented souls.

It felt like -him-.

Sarah held back a shiver. She didn't like alchemy like that. It reminded her of that man, and it, frankly, scared her. Although, she couldn't ever admit it.

Or wouldn't.

She'd been able to feel the presence since the four had arrived in Ishval. It had not ceased to cloud the back of her mind, pulling at her senses. She frowned, this was definitely where the feeling was originating. This man wasn't human.

"Are the two contestants ready?"

She nodded, hearing the man give a confirmation sound.

"Then begin when ready."

Neither moved. Sarah shifted her body, her boots scuffing the dirt with a heavy foot. That wouldn't do.

"Father's been looking for you, little one." The man called out.

So, Eli was telling the truth. Which also meant the Eli wasn't around anymore. Damn.

_ "Stay the hell away from me!"_

§

Ed's hands clenched, threatening to draw blood if he kept it up any longer. He was tensing again, just because Sarah was in the ring. He didn't want her to be there. And he didn't know why it was bothering him more than it seemed to be bothering the elder state alchemist, the father of said girl.

"Stay the hell away from me!"

His head picked up to stare at the ring when he heard Sarah shout. He'd never heard the broken girl talk in more than a loud whisper.

Then, he felt it.

The third time he'd felt the alchemic signature. It was a faint sense, but he could feel it.

It was leading the sparks that flew through the air, surrounding the arena. There wasn't anything else to be seen, but the sparks quickly formed into the shape of a circle. He didn't recognize the formation. It was something he'd, no matter how much he had traveled, never seen. Circles within circles.

Edward Elric paused.

He realized something.

If Sarah had been in the portal at least twice, she would have learned enough for her toll. If he had learned to perform alchemy by finding the circle within his own self, then what possibly could she have seen? Then again, she had to know more. From what he understood, she never personally opened the portal.

Well, at least the first time.

By his mind kept wondering back to the circle. There was something about it he didn't understand. He knew the circle, yet he had never seen it.

_Watch closely, Otō-kun._

Eli?

He got no reply. Ed gave a sound, and looked back up at the ongoing fight.

His throat let out a strangled sound as he watched Sarah, the broken girl, twist carelessly through the air, her body curving through the sparks flying. The crowd was just as surprised, giving murmuring and quick shouts. Her automail glittered, drawing loud attention to the visible false arm.

"Brother! That's one of those two!"

"One of what two?"

"There's been two people following us for the entire time we've been here!"

"Stay as far away as possible from them."

The two brothers turned to face the elder state alchemist.

Andrew gave a wild smile, "Jus' lemme ands Sarah handle it."

Ed stood now, "What can Sarah do?!"

The elder alchemist grinned, keeping quiet and simply pointing to the ring.

Edward Elric let out a sigh, and turned, sitting back down. His eyes turned back to watching the broken girl-no, alchemist-twist through the air, carelessly evading attacks and nulling alchemic attacks from the opponent.

This is war.

Ed could only watch. He'd seemingly forgotten how to speak. All he knew was to watch. His breathing came out naturally, albeit heavy from being held constantly. His hands were constantly clenching at impacts, and releasing upon the eased escapes. The alchemic signature burned into his senses, he could tell you the moment something was about to happen. Neither of the alchemists in the ring spoke a word. There was no taunting, no grunts of pain, no calling out an attack. It was pure silence aside the ground rumbling from the transmutations.

Sarah's automail hand clipped the ground, connecting long enough to slip around the arc of swinging metal. Her opponent pulled a second blade from his scabbard, swinging it to counter her dodge. Ed watched from the edge of his seat. He barely caught Sarah's foot connecting with the ground before it followed the arc of her heel to stop the second blade's path. The two were fighting at a fast pace, as if seemingly knowing each other's weaknesses without saying a word to each other. It was almost...

Almost like they had fought each other before this.

"There are two sides to Sarah..." The Frost alchemist stated. "This... This is the side of her... That's the real Sarah."

"Real Sarah?" Aarisa spoke up.

The elder state alchemist merely chuckled madly. "Just... Watch..."

The elder Elric gave one thing attention as he watched the broken alchemist kick up another guarding wall of hardened dirt.

Sarah had never made a circle, aside the one still lingering in the ring on shockwaves of the stinging alchemy. It couldn't be the reason she wasn't making or asking circles, considering she didn't even use a circle to make that one. It had formed from her moving, which couldn't constitute making a circle.

Right?

"Colonel Styx...?"

"Yes, Alphonse?"

"What is that circle? I don't recognize it."

"It's a circle the military has been trying to get its hands on since they discovered someone had created it." Andrew crossed his arms idly.

"But... What does it do?"

"Keep observing... I'm sure you'll be able to tell."

"Great, old man, that doesn't help!" Aarisa called out.

"I'm not that old! It's my natural hair color..."

Sarah's opponent abandoned his second sword in the confines of a hardened dirt prison, and reached for his third sword. Sarah's expression hardened, her hands grabbing into the dirt, completing an arc and slinging newly created mud at the man.

There had to be an advantage to being blind in her case. The match was moving far too quickly for anyone to be fighting in it to be solely relying on their eyesight. Anyone else would have been down and out by now. And if her opponent would actually use his alchemy, then anyone else would be probably seriously injured.

Wait.

Her opponent _wasn't_ using his alchemy in a battle between alchemists.

That was it. That was what the circle did. It constantly nullified other alchemy aside hers. It probably also served to help her follow his movements.

"She won't be able to hold it much longer. Not with the state she's in."

He finally drew his gaze from the fight and moved it to stare at the colonel. His face was finally showing worry.

"She can't finish the fight in the state she's in either."

"Why?"

"You can't kill people like him easily. You can't knock them out easily either."

"Well, looks like I managed to push you to your limit. Care to drop the circle?" The man called with a heavily mocking voice.

Sarah kept quiet, her automail arm flicking sideways, throwing compacted dirt from its limited confines. Ed let out a soft sound when the hanging circle dropped. The crowd let out a pleased sound when both of the alchemists rushed forward at each other.

Ed had to stand at the sight barely keeping up with the actions. Sarah pulled her legs up at a swing from the sword in the man's right hand, landing precariously on the blade. The second blade was swung at her, only to be stopped by a block from her left leg. Metal scraping against metal sounded when the second arc was completed and her borrowed leather pants tore under the blade. She still remained quiet when the entirety of her automail leg was revealed with a completed arc.

"I'm getting bored." The man stated, running forward and bringing his hands together through the blades' handles. "Let's end this, shall we?"

Ed leaned forward, hands on the railing, followed by the younger Elric and the newest addition.

Sarah made to back up, only to be stopped with a stone wall. Several strips of stone rose and took her in grasp, pinning her to the wall. Sarah's face hardened again, the strips dissolving into the original dirt. She took a step forward, only to collide with the man's hands.

The transmutation activated, sending sparks of alchemic reaction throughout the arena. Blood rose from Sarah's throat, and spurted from her mouth, landing on the ground in front of her as well as the man's clothing. A grin rose on the man's face as Sarah slumped forward, holding tightly onto his hands before pulling them away. With a rising chuckle, the man threw Sarah to the ground, raising his blades once again.

Ed's hand clenched together, drawing blood in his palms. With the arc he was using, her neck would be slit open. He had to do something or-

The blades begun to fall in their arcs quickly. Sarah coughed, but did not move.

"Sarah!"

He shouldn't care so much for someone who outright obviously hated what he was. Sarah still hated the fact he was a State Alchemist, although it didn't seem to bother her that her father was one.

But he did care, and it frankly bothered him.

But right now, all he knew was that his throat stung and his muscles stretched as he hung over the railing. Alphonse had joined him now, towering over him and blocking most of the sunlight. He could hear Aarisa shouting something, although he wasn't exactly paying much attention.

The broken alchemist coughed again, holding up her scratched automail arm.

"What the…?" The other alchemist shouted loudly, giving another tug on his sword.

Ed had to grin at what he saw, letting out a breath he didn't remember holding.

Streaking ice climbed from the ground, encasing the blade over in a frozen chamber. The state alchemist himself stood perched on the top of the wall, arms crossed. When he exactly got there, Ed wouldn't be able to tell you. There was a silence in the crowd before the announcer rushed onto the scene.

"Uh, I'm unsure what to make of this…"

"He interfered! She loses the match!" The opponent called, pointing with his free arm.

"But you were aiming to kill her. You would lose the match." Andrew called coolly from his perch.

"Take a look at the blade. Smacking her with the end of it in the throat would simply knock her out from asphyxiation." A wide grin was plastered on the man's face.

The announcer ran behind the man, checking the blade and nodding. It was in fact turned.

But he could swear on it that it hadn't been.

"Not when she's recovering from the attack in Central. That blow would have killed her."

"Well," The announcer cut in, "There's no way he could have possibly known that. If she can move, we let them both go on."

The crowd gave a collective agreeing sound. At least if she wanted to move on, she would be able to get a break. Ed noticed the motion of Colonel Styx's hand towards him.

Ed took a second to say something to his brother, before jumping down and landing in the arena. He jogged to where the elder state alchemist was perching, arms still crossed in anger.

"Check her. Make sure she's alright."

"Yes, sir."

He turned to his right, kneeling down and immediately pulled Sarah closer to him, noting every stream of blood and each scratch. Nothing looked serious on the outside.

But the way she had coughed up all that blood.

"Ms. Styx, would you like to continue?" The announcer was standing closer now, a slight look of concern plastered on his face.

Ed didn't let Sarah sit up, despite her wishes. She simply shook her head and leaned back after the second attempt.

The announcer nodded his head in understanding, "Sarah Styx has resigned from the competition. Her opponent will move on."

There was a respectful clap among the crowd. Cheers could be heard in praise of the winners, including the one who was practically being forced to resign from injuries. Sarah gave another cough and leaned back, pain written across her features. The elder state alchemist jumped from his perch, the sound of ice cracking became clear for a second before he motioned him back to look at his daughter. From there, his hands worked carefully across the broken alchemist's rib cage. From there, he prodded carefully across her stomach area, checking the organs that rested there.

"Take her to the hospital." Andrew called softly to him, standing and holding a long face. "I have to watch the fight to supervise."

Ed nodded, shifting the broken alchemist around before deciding on gathering her against his chest, and lifting her ever so gently into the air. There was a moment as she adjusted her body against his chest before she fell silent and closed her eyes.

She trusted him enough to feel comfortable to fall asleep in his arms. That or she was just far too tired and hurt to care anymore. Well, he figured, whatever the reason, she was still holding onto his coat, hands tensing with pain.

"Make sure they know she's blind."

"Yes, sir, Colonel Styx."

"Mention my name, they'll be nicer."

"Definitely then."

Ed watched his feet as he stepped carefully out of the arena. He held his head away from the cold, arm slung around his neck.

He wondered, letting his mind wander as he slipped through the town and past any booths set up for the festival.

Why had she hidden her alchemy if she could perform it? Why was she afraid of certain types of alchemy, including that used by State Alchemists?

What had happened to her?

_A warning._

**O.o**

**Heya guys, here's another chapter.**

**Shout out to: **

**_Dreamer372_**

**For the reviews last chapter. It's good to hear you like the story.**

**Sorry it's short too… wrist still hurten' like crazy.**

**Reviews would be nice, but aren't needed nor expected.**

**See ya soon.**

**o.O**


	22. Chapter 22

_"You'll need to know how to do this, Sarah."_

_"I don't think… I want to."_

_"Sarah, you know how to use a special type of alchemy."_

_"So?! If alchemy can do _that_, I don't want anything of it!"_

_"Sarah. Listen to me."_

_"I. Don't. Like. Alchemy!"_

_"Sarah Styx! Something is going to happen to this country! I want to protect it, but I have a feeling I won't be able to do much. Someone other than me has to know this!"_

_"Know what? I don't even know your name, dammit!"_

_"You know who I am. I dragged you out of _there_."_

_"I don't care what the hell you did! Ijust want you to get away from me!"_

_"You have to learn this!"_

_"I don't have to learn anything from you! Go away!"_

_"I can send you back _there_ if you need me to! You haven't seen what I have."_

_Silence._

_"I don't want to send you _there_, but I will if you keep fighting me."_

_"…what do I have to learn?"_

_Only a smirk was received._

"And your winner once again..." The words were drowned out by the crowds cheering.  
Oh...  
She'd slept through a fight.  
Well, it may have been more, but she assumed one. There still wasn't a point, she knew, to opening her eyes if the only difference was simply the change of light. But she always opened her clouded eyes anyway. Once she did, something shifted to her right. It smelled of sweat and oil, followed by faint traces of chemicals. There wasn't much noise from anywhere else, save what was being rushed into an area to her left.  
"What's going on, Al?"  
"Aarisa had a draw and both lost the fight. I was told to bring her here and tell you to get in the arena within seven minutes."  
"Well, thanks for telling me sooner!"  
"Not my fault, Brother!"  
"Can you watch both of them...?"  
"I'll stay. I don't trust those creeps."  
"Thanks, they give me a bad feeling."  
"Same here, Brother. Now hurry up!"  
"Going!"  
There was a shift to her right that kept shuffling down into dirt before melding with the noises of people moving.  
Okay, she mused, what just happened...?  
She assumed she was in a medical tent. But she could feel something lingering. A sense of evil alchemy.  
It was the alchemy she had learned to use. Three trips into the portal gains one quite a bit of information, even if she didn't want to gain such knowledge. She knew types of alchemy, or rather, their signatures. Most alchemists, even those who rise to the ranks of 'State' can't feel them.  
Then again, it was what had been keeping her out of trouble.

§

"Time is wearing down."  
"I know!"  
"We have to get at least one sacrifice before time is up!"  
"Calm down, all of you."

"The first two are being taken care of."  
"Fine!"  
"I don't understand why we couldn't do it!"  
"Because it's a personal one."  
"Oh..."  
"You'll get your turn... Such a greedy one."  
"What, envious you can't handle them either?"  
"Shut up!"  
"I'm tired..."  
"We know you are!"  
_The liar..._

**O.o**

**Heya guys, here's another chapter.**

**Shout out to: **

**_Dreamer372_**

**For the reviews last chapter. It's good to hear you like the story.**

**Sorry it's short too… wrist still hurten' like crazy.**

**Reviews would be nice, but aren't needed nor expected.**

**See ya soon.**

**o.O**


	23. Chapter 23

Ed simply waited. He knew that the fight wasn't going to be easy. This was another state alchemist; one that had risen in ranks quite easily. Ed had done his research on the man after hearing that Sarah was his missing daughter, and he was sure that the elder alchemist had done the same after receiving a phone call from Mustang.

His hands twitched in excitement. He had to admit, he hadn't been this excited to fight in quite a while. Ever since Father had been defeated, he hasn't fought, aside this tournament, or even sparred.

The elder state alchemist gave him a wicked grin when his lucid eyes met Ed's golden orbs. Ed could tell that neither of them were paying attention to the announcer. Vague screams echoed in his ears from the crowd. They were excited, and with good reason. It was rare to see two state alchemists fighting outside of the sparse matches in Central.

A quick scan of the crowd gave way to his underlining suspicion: Neither of the two men that had following them for the time in Ishval, were present at the arena. Ed was glad that Al had decides to stay with the two girls while they fought. It would insure that they would be safer as long as they were being watched.

Edward Elric was abruptly brought back into the arena with the feeling of grotesquely frigid ice creeping up on his feet. A cold breath heaved against the back of his neck.

"You should be paying more attention to the fight, Fullmetal." The Frost Alchemist's voice seeped into his ears, causing him to lean forward and shatter the growing ice at his feet. The elder state alchemist had knowingly gone for freezing his automail leg, without a doubt trying to cripple him.

"Sorry, was just thinking."

Which wasn't a lie; he had been thinking. Frankly, he had been thinking ever since arriving back in Resembool with Sarah. Up until then, he was able to understand the flow of time and events quite easily. But now, he was having trouble remembering what he had eaten for breakfast that morning. He, honestly, couldn't remember when he had eaten last anyway. He knew it had been at some point before the day's tournament events had started.

Edward Elric slipped backwards, bringing his hands together and flash-steaming the nearest frost that screeched at his head. He was getting toyed with, just like the man the elder state alchemist was chasing when they had arrived. Colonel Andrew Styx was playing with him to see what his reactions were. And with the pleased, mad giggling, Ed knew that he was at least keeping the Colonel entertained.

Not that he had a choice.

He brought his hands together again, managing to bring them to connect with the ground before slipping back from the pursuing ice. If his flickering memory was correct, the colonel suffered easily from frozen automail after extended use of his alchemy. Ed gave a quick grin before riding the ground, barely keeping balance as it took him upwards. He could use that to his advantage if he could keep the fight going for a little while longer.

The only problem with him trying such a tactic was he himself wearing out or risking have _his_ automail getting frozen. This meant he was going to need to hurry up and finish the match however he could, but the relentless attacks from the elder alchemist proved that impossible as of the moment. Which made him all that more excited. At this point, he didn't really care if he won or not.

Then again, he didn't exactly know why he was fighting anyway. He remembered he'd agreed to fight, but didn't know why they'd actually stuck around this long anyway. Something felt off and he knew it had something to do with one of two things. Either the effects of the gate transfer were lasting longer than what Eli had told him, or, and he hoped it wasn't, someone was messing with him, playing with his mind so he didn't understand the flow of time to understand his reasoning on staying somewhere they were only supposed to be in for three days. Ed blinked, forming the next wave of ice pellets into steam with a quick hand.

How long had they actually been there?

_Pay attention to the fight, Edward._

And then again, there was that voice. That simply disembodied voice that echoed around his head and followed him. He knew where the voice belonged, but…

"Have you figured it out, Fullmetal?" The colonel's voice was behind him again, frigid hands going to press against his back. "You've been under the influence of a transmutation."

"Wh-what?"

"Do you think I'm lying to you? Those men… They started it when you arrived in the Ishvalan area."

"Why?"

There was a silence before a pain struck through his head. He fell forward, barely managing to catch himself before face planting into the hard ground. He'd never heard of a transmutation that could affect the target's senses, but deep down, he knew it was possible. It would only take knowledge of the human brain network to be able to manipulate the chemicals being formed by tapping into the sensory and changing up what the victim was feeling. The only problem he found with it was that the user would need to come in contact with the victim. He hadn't come in physical contact with either of the men since he arrived-

Earlier, before he'd gotten to the hotel. They were in a crowded area and he'd been hit several times. It would be impossible for anyone to activate a transmutation then without being noticed.

"Get up; we have to finish a fight, Fullmetal."

"_Easy for you to say_! You didn't just have your sensory nerves just fixed!"

"You're a state alchemist, and you can't handle a little pain? Don't tell me that my daughter can handle pain better than you." There was a mocking mad giggle, "Get up and fight!"

Ed rolled away from the spear of ice that was sent hurdling towards his head. He scoffed and brought his hands together. He was running out of time before the colonel started to really fight. He only had a little more time to analyze what he could.

That was the moment he felt the ice creep over him.

He was out of time.

§

"Can I eat 'em?"

"No."

"But they look tasty."

"No, Simon."

"…Why not?"

"Because Father needs them."

"But Father's dead."

"Yes, Father's dead."

"So why does Father need them?"

"You'll see, Simon. You'll see."

**o.O**

**Okay, frankly, I don't know if anyone is reading this anymore. But I edited around some chapters and made it feel better to me. I decided to actually stop farting around and get off my butt and write.**

**And write good.**

**I fixed some mistakes, and (hopefully) made sense of all the random time jumps.**

**I can't shoutout to anyone, seeing as not really anyone's been reviewing lately, which scares me to wonder that I have messed up and/or ruined the story. But I know I shouldn't expect reviews, and frankly, I don't.**

**Thanks to anyone with the supports.**

**See ya soon.**

**O.o**


	24. Chapter 24

Ed paused, his boots sliding on the frosted ground. Of the other frost style state alchemist that he'd come to blows with, he had to say: this Frost style State Alchemist, was more of a challenge. This one actually used ice to freeze things, suck acts that the previous hadn't. this was truly the Frost Alchemist.

Indeed a state worth alchemist.

Said state alchemist brought his hands together, the idle sound of a clap never sounding before the electric shock waves of the transmutation filled the arena.

The crowd still muttered a loud excited calling.

Andrew Styx took a step forward, the air running dry and turning cold. The moisture in the air had been turned to ice, sticking blindly onto the metal of his automail leg.

Ed knew that the elder state alchemist understood that if the inner workings of the automail were frozen, that he'd be a sitting duck for attack. However, Edward knew that is also worked vice versa.

If the colonel overused his alchemy in haste, then the consequences would result in his own wires frozen. Which meant that then _he'd_ be a sitting duck.

With a huff, the elder Elric brother brought his hands together followed by setting them on the ground. It was a difficult fight. Not only because he was fighting another, more, experienced state worthy alchemist, but because his mind was halfway stuck on the two girls and the two men.

In the time between the minds transmutation's ending, and the time for the air to run cold, Ed realized one thing.

The two men were simply nothing but threats.

They knew that Sarah could still use alchemy. They knew to alter this thinking as to avoid suspicion from the state alchemist. They knew which one _was_ the state alchemist of the group.

They know that the two girls were in the same place and couldn't fight back.

Ed pulled his feet up underneath his chest, slipping away from the blade made of clear ice.

Andrew was still only giving a mock fight. He wasn't taking it seriously, "One of us will investigate the leader of the two." Colonel Styx called to him, swinging a complete arc, "The other will guard your charge and the other injured."

"So, then," Ed called back, finally activating the prepared transmutation, holding out his hand to receive the nicely formed blade. "Which of us will do that honor?"

"I'd like to watch over my child personally, but I don't wanna lose a fight to someone who can't take any pain."

"Well, I'm not losing the fight either."

"Well, we both have automail, and Roooy, will have my head if I steam my wires… so," The ice against his sword reformed, filling the nicks in, "I should probably stop using my alchemy for the moment."

"Because of the repercussions?"

"Yeeeeahhhh, Roy gets mad when I try to fix it…"

"Well, either way, we need to just hurry up and determine a winner."

"Yeah, yeah," The elder state alchemist smirked wickedly, "Let's go."

With one last glance, they rushed forward.

§

It was quiet within the room, but from the outside, Alphonse could still hear the crowd's calls and the faint sounds of transmutations going off. But, within the room, it was still quiet. His armor gave soft sounds as he turned to look at Sarah, who had fallen back asleep, then back at Aarisa. Both were sleeping calmly, thankfully. The wounds that they had received had been healed by a doctor who was on call.

He idly wondered how his elder brother was fairing against the obviously better Colonel. It didn't seem like anyone had won the fight as of the moment, so it meant that he was at least holding his own against the elder alchemist.

Then, there were those two men.

Al knew the two were in the hospital at the moment, wandering the halls in search of the two girls. He had run into one of them earlier when he had gone to look for a nurse. After that run in, he had taken to waiting in the room, watching the door just in case one of them figured out where the girls were.

If they didn't already know.

Frankly, there was no reason for the men to be looking for the girls. But after the way that the man had attacked Sarah, and then the second man had watched Aarisa fight and had vanished before she had finished the battle. Suspicious didn't even begin to cover it.

His head turned again back to the door as the resonating sound of an idle knock happened.

It was definitely not the nurses.

§

The dust was lingering quite longer than it should have. It was drawing into his lungs each and every time he breathed. The air was sticky with the ice that was slowly forming back into the moisture breathed a calmness at the dust stuck to it and fell with gravity.

"Keep an eye on the leader." The colonel called softly, the words echoing into his ears, "Watch out for his swords. He can move them just like Bradley, so be extra carefully."

"What are you-"

"Yo, I resign from the tournament."

Ed stood in silence, the dust finally falling.

Wait...

What?

**o.O**

**Sorry i've been gone. Got sick then had problems with my wrist.**

**But I'm back.**

**Oh, and on the last A/N, I had absolutely no intention of trying to ask for reviews. If people don't leave them, then people don't leave them...**

**Enough rambling**

**Distraction**

**O.o**


End file.
